


Diamond in the Rough

by FawnChara



Category: One Piece
Genre: Abusive Garp, Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, And angst, Awkward Boners, Child Abuse, Child Neglect, Depression, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, Graphic descriptions of abuse, Highschool AU, I really like Kid so he'll keep popping up, LOTS of violence, M/M, Poor Luffy, Suicide mentions, Teen Romance, and blood, confirmed boyfriends, implied suicide
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-04-09
Updated: 2015-08-05
Packaged: 2018-01-18 17:13:50
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 9
Words: 31,293
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1436344
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FawnChara/pseuds/FawnChara
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Luffy and his grandfather were forced to move to a different city after people at his old school discovered his secret. Now, Luffy attends a new school and meets Zoro. But he's scared that Zoro will discover the truth of his past... so what will happen when he does? ZoLu.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. New Beginning

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Rated for abuse, violence, swearing, and more. TW for detailed descriptions of child abuse and mentions of suicide.
> 
> Also, in NO way do I support abuse of any kind.

 

 

**“Diamond in the rough: The person that is the equivalent to a shining diamond in the middle of all the bad things...”**

 

_*beep beep beep*_

At the sound of his alarm, Luffy’s eyes snapped open. 6 am. It was still dark outside, and the house was silent, but Luffy knew it was time to get up. Slowly he sat up in his bed, his body still sore and aching from the previous day. Luffy trembled, remembering the events that had taken place not too long ago. He gripped his shaking hand, a determined look forming on his face. _Come on, Luffy. Pull it together. Today should be a good day... well, at least better than yesterday._

Today was his first day at a new school. Luffy had to transfer out of his last high school for various reasons. So now, he and his grandfather had switched cities and moved into a different apartment, far away from their past.

Clasping his hands together, Luffy rose and stood in his small room. Cardboard boxes were stacked away in a corner, evident of their recent move. Luffy hadn’t had the time to put everything away, so he just piled the few boxes up on the side. It’s not like he had many personal belongings, anyways. Since he and gramps had come to this rundown building, Luffy had spent his spare time finding a job, to support himself and the old man. Garp used to be a police officer, but not too long ago he decided to retire after nearly forty years of service. But he still has a lot of influence in the policing world, and is very well known for dedicating his time to justice.

So finally after a week of asking around and going through many interviews, Luffy had finally been hired at a coffee shop called Caffe Bene, only a few blocks away. His new work would start today, right after school.

Sighing heavily, Luffy made his way down the narrow and dirty hall of their new apartment. Except this place wasn’t new. Sure, new to them, but this building had been here for at least thirty years, and it was clearly showing its age. A cockroach crawled past on the carpeted floor in front of Luffy, who all but gagged at the sight. _I’ll have to take my time cleaning this place..._ He quickly grabbed a nearby shoe and whacked the little creature. _Gross!_

After cleaning the bug’s mess, Luffy went to the kitchen and washed his hands. He glanced at the clock on the microwave. 6:08. Garp would wake up soon. _I need to get started on breakfast!_

Luffy went to the living room and searched through one of the many boxes before retrieving a cooking pan. He moved a few more things around until he found all the tools he needed to prepare their meal. Moving to the fridge, Luffy pulled out some eggs and bacon that he had bought at the store a few days ago. He placed the two pans on the stove, and heated them up.

It didn’t take long for the stove to warm, so Luffy went to work, cracking the eggs and placing the bacon on the pan. Luffy looked to the clock, which read 6:23. _Not long until gramps is up._ Luffy frowned at the thought. _I just hope the old man is pleased with the food._

The bacon and eggs finished cooking, so Luffy took this opportunity to pop some bread into the toaster. _Let’s see... I’ve made scrambled eggs, bacon, toast... but what am I missing?_ Luffy gasped as he realized that he forgot the drinks! He went back to the fridge, relieved to find a carton of milk left.

Luffy had just set the kitchen table as his grandfather made his way down the hall. Heavy steps alerted Luffy to the old man’s presence. His blood ran cold as the man appeared before him.

“I m-made breakfast...” Luffy stuttered. He was slightly surprised that the old man wasn't holding his head from a massive hangover, considering how much expensive alcohol he'd drunk the previous day. Last week as a going away present, Garp's friends had given him several bottles of high-quality beer and wine. Those bottles were now lying on Garp's bedroom floor, completely empty.

Garp ignored Luffy and sat down at the table. He looked at the plate in front of him, taking in the appearance of the food, before he picked up his fork and gave the eggs an experimental taste.

Luffy watched the man’s actions closely, not wanting to sit down after him. He froze as the older man turned to him.

“You’ve improved,” he said simply, before continuing to eat his meal. Luffy sighed with relief, but he stiffened as the man spoke again. “Well, what are you waiting for, boy? Get some food and come sit down.”

Luffy relaxed his muscles forcefully as his grandfather gestured to the seat across from him. Quickly, Luffy served himself some eggs, ignoring the bacon and toast, and sat down.

“So,” Luffy hesitated as he brought the fork to his mouth, and waited for his gramps to continue, “today’s your first day at that new school, huh?”

Luffy ignored the hunger in his stomach as he set his fork back down. “Yes, sir.”

“Have you got any plans for after school?”

Luffy swallowed the lump in his throat. “Y-yes, sir. I have to go to my new job at the coffee shop.”

His grandfather lowered his head, shadows covering his eyes. “Then I expect you to be back right after work.” His voice was cold and strict.

"Y-yes sir. I plan to."

“Good.” He raised his head and looked the frightened teen dead in the eye. “Well, boy, you better be off.”

Luffy nodded and stood, picking up his unfinished meal and putting it away. “I’ll be back when my shift ends at seven.” Garp gave a single nod, returning his attention to his food.

Luffy went back to his cramped bedroom and dressed slowly, not wanting to agitate his injuries. Putting on a plain white t-shirt, Luffy covered it with the school assigned long-sleeved shirt. Luffy then slid on his black trousers and brown shoes to complete his uniform. _At least I don’t have to wear a tie._ Luffy remembered the bothersome garment that was required to wear at his last school, and sighed at the painful memories that it brought.

He had never wanted to leave his old home. He had never wanted to leave his friends behind. He had never wanted to leave his life behind. _Ace, if only you were there, then we wouldn’t have had to move away._ Luffy thought briefly of his older brother, who had left for college years ago. Since he had left, the situation at home had worsened.

Shaking his head, Luffy finished buttoning the top and tucking it in his pants. He then went to the mirror which was fastened to the closet door, and looked himself over. _At least everything’s covered._ Luffy took out a comb and attempted to brush out the unkempt mess of hair on his head. His fingers trailed over the scar under his left eye, which was healing quite nicely. His dark eyes lingered on his mirrored ones, taking in all of the pain and suffering he saw lying in the midst. He hoped that others couldn’t see it as clearly as he could.

Luffy pouted at his face in the mirror, wanting everything to be different. He closed his eyes, wishing everything to just be a bad dream, but fate was cruel as he opened them in the same dirty bedroom as before. Luffy sighed again, which was becoming more and more common as time went on.

He looked back to the mirror, and practised his smile. Luffy was becoming quite the master of the false smile, and he used it everyday now. He focused on the grin plastered on his lips, which could easily fool the smartest person into thinking he was okay. Though there would always be the occasional person it wouldn’t work on, of course. His smile lifted into a true one, as Luffy thought of all the new friends he would make at school today. _Yosh! It’s time to start a new life!_

Ω Ω Ω

_*beep beep beep*_

Zoro grunted at the sound of his alarm, pulling the covers back over his face. _Monday, ugh._ He grumbled as he hauled himself out of bed, not wanting to go through another week of school when he was only a sophomore. _Why can’t I be a senior already?_ I just want to graduate, get my damn diploma, and get the fuck out of that place. His mind swarmed with directionless, angry thoughts, as he got up and pulled on a clean shirt.

After he finished dressing, Zoro walked into his kitchen, grabbed a piece of bread, and was out the door. He wasn’t a morning person, so he woke up as late as possible. Since school started at 7:20, Zoro figured that 7am would give him just enough time to get ready and go.

He walked down the street, thinking he’d have another boring day ahead of him. Zoro’s mind went to his group of ‘friends’, who bugged him like there was no tomorrow. _Especially that damn swirly brow,_ Zoro growled, thinking of the blonde guy that annoyed him even more so than the others.

Suddenly, a small body bumped into Zoro, bringing him out of his thoughts. “Hey! Watch where you’re going.”

The little boy that ran into him backed up immediately. “S-sorry! I wasn’t looking where I was walking, and then I tripped.”

Zoro scanned the teen in front of him, noticing what a scrawny frame the kid had. The boy was small, both in size and weight, and literally had no meat on his bones. His clothes seemed too big for him by the way they hung off his body. Looking closer at the uniform, Zoro noted the emblem on his shirt pocket. “Hey kid. Do you go to Ginsei High?”

Said teen looked up, smiling. “Today is my first day! But how did you know?”

Zoro sighed. What an idiot. “Your shirt pocket. Every student that goes there has the same mark.”

Luffy glanced down, taking in the information. He then turned to the taller man, sticking out his hand. “I’m Luffy. What’s your name?”

 _Very formal._ Zoro grasped the tiny hand in his, wondering how such a small child was in high school. “Zoro,” he replied.

Luffy smiled again, which was starting to creep Zoro out a little. The smaller teen then gasped as he looked down at his watch. “Ah, Zoro! It’s 7:15! We’re going to be late!”

“Calm down, school doesn’t start for another five minutes. We won’t be tardy.”

Luffy glanced up at the green-haired male with a panicked expression. “But it’s my first day! I don’t know where any of my classes are.”

Zoro sighed again. His morning was being ruined by a loud-mouthed kid who had way too much energy to spare. “I’ll show you where your first period class is if you give me your schedule.”

Another warm smile formed on the boy’s face. “Thanks, Zoro! You’re a lifesaver!”

Zoro looked at the smiling teen who handed him his paper schedule. _Well, I guess he is kinda cute, even with that scar... which seems kinda fresh._ Peering a little closer at the teen’s face, Zoro saw that the crescent shaped scar under his eye was still healing. _Something made that recently._ He then turned his attention to the folded paper that the boy placed in his hands. _Sophomore, huh? He might have some classes with me..._

Yet he focused only on the first class, ignoring the rest of the schedule. “First period Algebra 2 with Kuro-sensei? I have that class too. I’ll show you the way.”

The little smile grew bigger at the taller man's words. “Thanks, Zoro! Let’s go!” Luffy grabbed Zoro’s arm and proceeded to drag him towards the school.

 _Damn! For such a small size I thought he’d be a total weakling! But his grip is like iron, I can’t break free!_ Zoro struggled in the raven haired kid’s hold. He sighed again, realizing that fighting it would be pointless. From that moment on, Zoro kept pace with the boy, letting himself be carried away.

The two earned many looks from other students as they entered the campus and made their way to the second floor.

“Room 206. Yay! We found it, Zoro!”

Zoro pulled his arm free, glad to have it back in his control again. He sighed at the kid’s antics, but found a small smile creeping up on his lips.

Turning around suddenly, Luffy caught a glimpse of Zoro’s smile, and returned it with one of his own cheeky grins. Zoro quickly avoided the obsidian eyes as he felt a slight heat rise to his cheeks. “What are you waiting for? Go ahead inside.”

The smile on the boy’s face faltered, not highly noticeable, but it was is if he took a dislike to Zoro’s choice of words. His eyes also lost some shine to them, and the black orbs looked down. _What did I do? All I said was ‘what are you waiting for’...?_

Luffy turned back to the door so Zoro couldn’t see his face. “Yeah... let’s go.” His voice had lost the excitement that it had only moments ago.

 _Did I say something wrong?!_ Zoro screamed in his mind, wondering what could have caused such a drastic change in the young boy. Unconsciously, Zoro felt his arm reach out, until his large palm was resting on the teen’s boney shoulder. _Damn... I thought this kid was skinny, but this is ridiculous! Is he eating right?_ His mind wandered over several thoughts of the teen, hoping he was as fine as the earlier smile had let on.

Luffy leaned into the warm touch for a brief moment before turning back around to face Zoro. Zoro let his arm drop to his side. Luffy had a bright smile plastered on his face, eyes closed from the wide grin. “I’m fine, Zoro, just a little tired. Let’s go, the bell will ring soon.”

At first glance, Luffy looked back to normal, his happy, smiling self. But Zoro managed to see through the act. He frowned as Luffy turned once more to the door, twisting the knob and revealing their first period class.

Still, Luffy was right about the bell, for as soon as the two entered the class and shut the door behind them, it had rung.

“Good to see you’re not late, Zoro-san. You may take your seat.” A tall figure appeared in front of the two, and Zoro moved to the back of the class for his usual place. “And who are you?” Zoro sat and looked up as their intimidating teacher questioned the small boy.

“Um... I’m Monkey D. Luffy, and I -uh- just transferred here today.” Zoro wasn’t surprised that the kid could barely meet Kuro-sensei’s gaze. Their sensei was tall and lanky, and seemed to have a permanent frown set in stone. His aura was also dark and menacing, sending people away with one look.

“Yes, I know who you are. Just testing your courage.” The black haired man leaned down to whisper in Luffy’s ear, earning a shiver from the younger. Zoro strained himself to hear their words. “You know, not many have the guts to even speak in front of me. Something about me being scary, I don’t know,” their sensei whispered, and winked as he stood once more. “But of course I know your name," he said much louder this time, as if wanting the rest of the class to hear him. “Who else transfers in the middle of the first semester? Now, you may take a free seat in the back, Luffy-san.”

“Okay,” Luffy shot the man a weary smile before he walked over to the back of the class, and rested in an empty chair next to Zoro.

Zoro couldn’t help but be a little glad that the kid shared his first class, and since he seemed nice, Zoro decided that he should get to know him a little better.

Ω Ω Ω

“Psst.”

A small noise sounded to Luffy’s right, so he turned to see a tan boy with black curly hair. His nose was oddly long.

“I’m the great Usopp, nice to meet ‘cha!” The student introduced himself in a whisper, smiling.

Luffy returned the grin, wanting to make lots of friends. He glanced up at the front, seeing as Kuro-sensei was busy lecturing the class, and turned back to the new face. “I’m Luffy!”

Usopp nodded at the obvious information. Lingering curiosity was evident in his black eyes. “So Luffy, why did you move here? Sensei was right, it’s unusual for people to transfer at this time.”

Luffy gulped, thinking back to an earlier conversation between him and his guardian.

_‘Now, Luffy. If anyone asks you why you moved, what will you say?’ The large, buff man loomed over the boy, who was kneeling on the floor._

_‘I-I’ll just say that...’ Luffy desperately searched his mind for an answer that would please the raging beast of a man before him. ‘...that I moved for family reasons?’_

_The man glared down at him, swaying slightly on his feet, still clutching his bottle of alcohol. ‘Good enough.’ The person stumbled to the living room and plopped down in a recliner, taking another swig from the bottle._

_Luffy crawled back down the hall, wincing in pain from the movement._

Coming back to the present, Luffy blinked at Usopp. He had prepared for this moment, and his grandfather had made sure of that. “Family reasons,” Luffy replied smoothly, with another false smile in place.

Usopp nodded, not wanting to press his new friend further. For now, at least. “Well, how would you like to sit with me at lunch?”

His fake grin grew into a real one. “I’d love to!”

Usopp crossed his arms, looking smug and pleased with himself. “Of course you’d like to sit with me. After all, I’m the most popular boy on campus!”

Sparkles appeared in Luffy’s eyes. “Really?! Sugoi!”

A light tap was felt on Luffy’s left shoulder, so he turned to see Zoro with a bored look on his face. “Don’t believe everything Usopp says. The ‘uso’ in his name is there for a reason.”

Luffy chuckled at the bad pun while Usopp glared at his green-haired friend. “Zoro! Don’t tell him that.”

Still giggling, Luffy turned back to Usopp. “What classes do you have next?”

“Well, next I have history, then P.E., and then we all have lunch.”

Luffy pulled out his schedule to compare classes with his long-nosed friend. As it turns out, Luffy had a total of four out of seven classes with Usopp: Algebra 2 which they were currently in, P.E. third, biology fourth, and art class sixth.

“Wow, what luck! You’ll have the mighty Usopp in four of your classes!” Usopp forgot to whisper, and loudly exclaimed this statement while standing up. Quickly realizing his mistake, Usopp sat back down, and glanced nervously toward his teacher. Kuro-sensei was glaring at the loudmouthed student, while Luffy had to cover his mouth to keep from laughing out loud. Zoro facepalmed at the stupid outburst.

“Usopp-kun,” Kuro-sensei breathed, “take it out in the hall.”

Several students laughed, while a couple of the guys high-fived Usopp on his way out of the classroom. Luffy was disappointed that Usopp had to leave, but he felt better knowing he’d see him again in third period and at lunch.

As their sensei returned to his lecture, Luffy turned to Zoro. “What classes do you have?” Luffy was careful to whisper, and not yell like Usopp previously had.

Zoro let a small grin form on his features as he listed out his schedule, hoping he had more classes with this interesting kid.

Luffy’s smile grew wider. “We have four classes together too! This one, English, P.E., and Music Theory. But why do you have a free period?” Luffy’s head tilted to the side, confusion clear on his child-like face.

“Well, there’s four main classes, a P.E. or athletics class, and that leaves room for two electives.” Zoro rested his chin on his palm as he explained. "Nothing really interested me, so I only signed up for one elective and then they gave me study hall."

Luffy bobbed his head up and down. “That makes sense.” He grinned again. “If you have nothing better to do during that time, you could always come visit me and Usopp in art!”

Zoro nodded, “All I really ever do during my free period is sleep anyways.” Luffy giggled at the response, and was silenced with a glare from Kuro-sensei. Apparently the laugh was loud enough for their teacher to hear. But their sensei didn’t send Luffy out in the hall with Usopp, probably not wanting to punish him on his first day.

Kuro-sensei continued teaching, so Luffy turned once more to Zoro, whispering, “Lucky!”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was originally longer, but I cut it in half. The next update will be up in a few days!
> 
> Anyways, here’s some class schedules to make sure no one is confused:
> 
> Luffy’s schedule: Algebra 2, English, PE, (Lunch), Biology, History, Art, Music Theory.
> 
> Usopp’s schedule: Algebra 2, History, PE, (Lunch), Biology, English, Art, Mechanics.
> 
> Zoro’s schedule: Algebra 2, English, PE, (Lunch), History, Biology, free period/study hall, Music Theory.
> 
> Leave a review, let me know if you like it :)


	2. Marks

First and second period ended quickly for Luffy, so now he and Usopp were walking towards the gym for their P.E. class. In Luffy’s English class with Zoro, he’d met Nami, Vivi, and Sanji, who all turned out to be really nice people. Luffy couldn’t wait until he could see them all again at lunch.

The two guys arrived at the boy’s locker room, where several people were already dressing in their practice outfits. Usopp was telling Luffy about this time when he went snow skiing and how he was attacked by a giant bear. “Thankfully, the bear had an allergy to pretzels, so I was able to defeat it.”

“Wow~ that’s amazing, Usopp!” Luffy’s eyes were wide and sparkling.

“And that’s not all, the bear was a mother, so its cubs came after me next!” Usopp continued his tale as he began taking his shirt off.

“And then what happened?” Luffy began unbuttoning his shirt but hesitated. _I can't let people see..._ Luffy frowned inwardly. _Got to come up with something, quick._ “Um, hey, Usopp. I gotta use the restroom, so I’ll just change in there.”

“Aw, okay. But hurry back so you can hear how I handled the cubs!” Usopp’s face fell, knowing he would have to put his story on hold for a little while.

Luffy grinned. “Okay, be back soon.” He grabbed his bag and left the changing area to go to the restroom stalls, which were still connected to the locker room. Once inside the stall, Luffy shut it behind him, and leaned against the door, sighing. Of course, Luffy didn’t even have to go to the bathroom in the first place. He just didn’t want to go through the same trouble as last time. At his old school, people found out his secret, and he was forced to leave. _I don’t want to have to move again,_ Luffy thought, shaking his head.

In the safety of the stalls, Luffy finished unbuttoning his uniform. He wore a plain white shirt underneath, so Luffy pulled the clothing over his head, revealing a mass of scattered bruises and scars. Luffy flinched; the movement hurting his wounds from yesterday. “Damn,” he whimpered. Scars criss-crossed the delicate skin, some old and fading, while some fresh and tender and all varying in size. The bruises were spread throughout his entire front, back and arms, and he frowned at the damage. There was an almost black bump on his ribcage, and Luffy knew that a rib was still broken and poking his skin. His icy fingers traced the bluish purple marks, which were darker and more prominent than they had been a few hours ago. The coolness of his fingertips soothed the sore areas, and Luffy sighed in momentary relief.

He slipped on his workout shirt, followed by a sweatshirt, and removed his pants. His pale legs were also covered in an array of dark blue blotches, much like his torso. Since he realized earlier that he couldn't wear the assigned P.E. shorts, Luffy brought a pair of sweatpants to wear. He pulled the fabric up slowly, not wanting to irritate the injuries any worse than he already had.

Once all the marks were covered, Luffy exited the stall, coming face to face with his new friend.

“Are you okay, Luffy? You sure took a while in there.” Usopp said worriedly.

Luffy blinked, forcing the smile to come back. “Yep! Just fine. Let’s go!” Luffy threw his bag back over by the lockers and hurried out of the changing room. He left a confused Usopp who followed shortly behind.

Luffy could feel Usopp’s eyes burning into his arms and legs. “Why are you wearing sweats today? It’s really hot and we’re going outside to play soccer.”

“Um, it’s because I get cold really easily.” Luffy felt terrible for lying to his friend. It didn’t even matter though, because unfortunately for Luffy, he was a terrible liar and Usopp saw right through him.

“But you’re sweating.”

"And I'm not feeling that well, so I might ask the coach if I can sit out," Luffy continued, though this part was actually true. The more Luffy thought about it, the more he supported his decision to avoid participating in any type of sport. His legs could get hurt again, and Luffy wanted to stay away from any potentially painful situations.

“I don’t think that’s such a good idea,” Usopp murmured.

Panic went through him. “Why not?”

“Well, we have Smoker-sensei for a coach, and he’s a really scary guy. Even scarier than Kuro-sensei!” Usopp shuddered.

Luffy frowned again, “Kuro-sensei isn’t _that_ scary...” Really scary people were both tall and muscular, and did drugs, and drank... like someone Luffy knew. Still, their algebra teacher was terrifying in his own way, as he reminded Luffy of his cold and heartless ex-boyfriend.

“But Kuro-sensei is nothing compared to Smoker-sensei. He’s really tall, even taller than the bear from my story! And he’s big, with a very broad chest and big muscly arms!” Usopp made giant hand gestures, as if he was describing a monster.

Luffy’s heartbeat picked up at the thought. He _hated_ big men like the one Usopp was depicting.

Usopp continued as the boys walked out of the gym and to the field outside, “And he isn’t called Smoker for nothing. He loves to smoke some cigars, he even does it at school!”

Luffy could practically feel his heart stop. _A tall man with big muscles who smokes a lot?!_ “D-does he drink too?” he stuttered, unable to keep his voice straight.

At his question, Usopp shrugged, almost indifferent at the thought. “I don’t know what Smoker-sensei does outside of school. But it is true that he smokes while directing classes. I’m still wondering why the school staff and principle let him do it. But anyways, I don’t think you should approach Smoker-sensei about wanting to skip today’s activity. When he’s mad, you better watch out!” Usopp rose his hands on either side of his face, attempting to scare Luffy with his story of their teacher.

And it worked. Luffy began breathing heavily with wide eyes as fear built up inside him.

“Hey, calm down Luffy. I know Smoker-sensei is scary, but he’s not all that bad!”

 _“Who’s_ scary?” A gruff voice sounded from behind the two, who quickly turned to face the man Usopp was just talking about.

“Eep! It’s the monster!” Usopp yelled, and promptly fled the scene. Luffy wanted to follow after his friend, but his legs stayed rooted to the grass.

“Well, boy?” The tall, intimidating man crossed his arms, as he blew out some smoke from the two cigars wedged in between his stained teeth. Luffy broke out into a cold sweat as the man and him stared at each other. Flashes of memories came to Luffy, and he began to tremble noticeably.

_'Well, boy? Are you going to answer me?' A tightly clenched fist slammed into Luffy's side, and he flew across the room, coughing and winded. 'When I ask a question, I expect an answer!' The powerful voice roared._

_'I-I'm s-sorry!" Luffy pleaded, but it was too late. While he was down on the ground, a foot connected to his ribcage with a sickening crack. Luffy cried out in pain, and he crawled into a ball, gripping his aching sides._

_His attacker leaned down and pulled Luffy up by his school tie, which was fastened around his neck. 'I'm still waiting!' Luffy was given no time to speak as he was dropped, and the barrage of kicks and punches continued. He was then grabbed by the hair and forced to look at his grandfather in the face. 'Give me an answer, dammit!' A sharp blow was felt in his chest, and Luffy screamed. Another crunch was heard, and by the throbbing pain, Luffy could tell he had another broken rib. As the fingers loosened their grip, Luffy fell crippled to the floor once more._

_He clutched his sides, desperately gasping and wheezing for breath. But Luffy didn't have a chance to speak as he was harshly yanked up by his arm. 'Ouch! Please, stop!' Wrong choice of words._

_'Stop?' The figure froze in silent rage. That didn't last long as it bent over the teary-eyed Luffy. 'Stop?! Did you just tell me to fucking stop!? No one tells me to do anything!' The next hit was hard and fast, landing on his right cheek. Luffy stared, eyes wide. This man had never hit him in the face or other easily noticeable place where people could see the bruises._

_A large foot connected to him, getting him square in the chest. The force snapped an already cracked rib clean through and knocked the remaining breath out of the boy. No recovery time was allowed as Luffy was dragged by his hair towards the kitchen._

_'W-what are you doing?' Luffy felt complete panic and fear as the man pulled out a dangerously sharp knife. He was used to kicks and punches, even broken bones, but cuts were new. Stumbling, Luffy made a pathetic attempt to get away as the man smacked his foot down on Luffy's front, holding him in place._

_'Stay still, and this won't hurt as much!' The laughing voice pounded in his eardrums as the tip of the blade sliced downward on the bruised chest, earning a blood-curdling scream from the teen. He felt as the knife made shallow cuts, which would only bring pain, but no permanent scarring. He clenched his eyes shut, tears streaming, waiting for the torture to finish._

_'Stop crying and shut the fuck up!' The man bellowed as he made a deeper incision. Wine red blood spilled from each cut as the man dragged the blade across his aching flesh._

_Luffy bit down on his cheek to keep himself from crying out. This pain was completely different than anything that he'd ever experienced before. It was much more intense. Shutting his eyelids even tighter, Luffy forced the tears from spilling. Doing as the man said would mean a shorter punishment._

_The smell of rusty metal filled his nose, and Luffy recognized this as his own blood. Other scents circled around him, like the thick odor of cigarettes and the heavy aroma of cheap alcohol. Luffy gagged, only to his attacker's pleasure. 'Aren't so tough now, are ya?' The booming noise of laughter continued as the slashing of the knife did as well._

_The movements slowed, and Luffy could tell the end was near. He tensed again as he felt the blade's tip resting on his stomach. 'This will teach you some manners.' The voice whispered before plunging the knife deep in his flesh. Luffy shrieked one final time, and his vision blurring to darkness. As his consciousness faded, Luffy could still hear the menacing laughter._

“Hello, kid? Are you okay?” Smoker placed his hand lightly on the teen’s shoulder, who wrenched it away violently. Smoker quickly pulled his hand back, surprised at the boy’s sudden reaction.

Luffy’s eyes began to clear away from the remembrance of that night a few months ago, and it took him several moments to figure out what was going on. He found himself standing alone in the grass, next to his new coach. Usopp had run away from the man, and was currently awaiting his arrival on the nearby soccer field. He took a deep breath, clearing his mind of the unwanted memories. “F-fine. I’m just fine.” Luffy’s voice trembled a bit, and he avoided the gray-haired man’s concerned gaze.

“Then are you Monkey D. Luffy, the kid who transferred here today?” Smoker continued, looking at a clipboard with the class list on it.

Finally all back, Luffy turned to the coach, perfect false smile in place. “Yep! Monkey D. Luffy, nice to meet ‘cha!” Luffy refrained from offering the coach his hand, scared that the large man would take the opportunity to hurt him.

“Well, Luffy-kun. Today we’re playing soccer, but if you aren’t feeling well, then you can sit out.” Apparently this teacher could see right through the fake ‘everything is fine’ act.

Luffy’s grin fell, and though the smile was still there, it was a sad one. “Thanks,” he murmured, truly grateful. “I’ll just go wait inside.”

Smoker nodded, looking worried, but let the boy rush off to the locker room. Luffy didn’t look back as he tried to run back to the building. Only now that the dull throb in his legs was back, Luffy made an awkwardly slow progress.

As Luffy finally made it inside, he wasted no time as he went straight to the bathroom to throw up.

Ω Ω Ω

Zoro was already waiting for the game to start on the field by the time Usopp came running towards him. “What’s wrong?” he asked the usually loud and obnoxious teen, who now held a terrified expression on his tan face.

“It’s Smoker-sensei! He heard me talking bad about him, and now Luffy’s gonna get punished!” The teen waved his arms frantically, wide-eyed.

“What? Where is he now?” Zoro couldn’t believe that his new friend was already finding trouble.

Usopp pointed in the direction he’d just come from. “Over there!”

Once he spotted them, Zoro was about to run towards the pair, but stopped short upon seeing the raven-haired kid move away. His feet felt heavy, so he just stayed in place and watched how Luffy attempted to hurry back in the gym, stumbling and tripping all the way. _Is he okay? Did he get hurt?_ Zoro's mind was overcome with thoughts for the seemingly happy-go-lucky teen he'd just met that morning. He then focused on how Luffy started covering his mouth as he neared the door. _Is he going to be sick?!_

Smoker walked calmly over to the soccer field where the rest of the P.E. students were waiting.

“Sensei, is there something wrong with Luffy?” Zoro asked politely, surprising even himself.

Smoker, equally surprised at the usually rude teen, frowned at the mention of the boy. “He wasn’t feeling well, so I let him go inside.”

Panic rose in Zoro, and he somehow knew that he needed to go help Luffy. “Can I go and check on him, to see it he’s okay?”

Smoker blinked, regaining his composure. “That’s fine, go ahead.”

Temporary relief flooded through Zoro, so he nodded and hurried after the boy, leaving a confused and worried Usopp behind. Zoro made it inside the gym after a short sprint, and he slowed as he neared the locker room. He slowly opened the door, heart steadily pounding in apprehension.

The first thing he noticed was the sound. He could hear someone retching, with soft whimpers mixed in. _Is that Luffy?!_ The next thing that came to him was the smell. Yep, someone was definitely puking their guts up.

Zoro rounded the corner to where the restrooms were, and was faced with an open stall and a little Luffy bent over the toilet. Tears were streaming from the startled boy’s eyes, which were quickly wiped away with a shaking hand. Zoro could see the teen trembling, and poor Luffy was still gagging, so he whirled back around to the toilet bowl to release more vomit.

Zoro’s feet felt frozen on the bathroom tile; he wanted to move and help Luffy, but he couldn’t move because of fear. Yes, Roronoa Zoro was actually scared. Scared for his new friend, at the least.

Somehow in this confusing mess Zoro managed to find his voice. “A-are you okay, Luffy?” His tone was unsure and worried, which was just what he was feeling.

After he had emptied the pitiful amount of his stomach's contents into the toilet, Luffy wiped his mouth off with some toilet paper. He coughed and flushed away the disgusting barf. Giving a heavy sigh, Luffy turned to face the green-haired man. “Yeah,” he gasped out.

Zoro narrowed his eyes in concern. Normal students didn’t get sick that fast unless something was terribly off. And his gut told him that something was terribly off with Luffy. “No, you’re not fine.” After a short moment of silence, he continued, “I’m taking you to the nurse’s office right now.”

Luffy looked like he wanted to argue, but was too tired to do anything but give a slight nod. Forcing his legs to move, Zoro came forward and easily picked up the teen, carrying him bridal style to the clinic. He gaped at the feel of Luffy’s small body hugged tightly against his own. He was so tiny, and weak, and frail! The baggy clothes actually made Luffy seem bigger than he was, but once they were pressed against him, his real form was felt.

Zoro quickened his step, wanting to get Luffy to the nurse as soon as possible.


	3. Depressed

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: More angst, Luffy sadness :( and swearing. (also OOC)

Luffy was vaguely aware of movement and arms wrapped securely around him. The tightness of the grip was actually hurting, and Luffy was sure that the pain was the only thing keeping him conscious at the moment.

He was tired. And right now, Luffy just wanted to take a nap and go to sleep. He felt his eyelids drift to a close, but a harsh shaking made them open again. He looked up into the slightly familiar face of his new friend. Luffy saw how Zoro’s mouth was moving, but there was only silence in his ears. Still tired, Luffy tried closing his eyes again, only to be shaken once more. Luffy was getting tired of this, and when he began to focus, his senses slowly returned.

“...ffy. Luffy, can you hear me?” A panicked voice met his ears, gradually increasing in volume.

Luffy tried opening his mouth, but the words stuck in his throat. What could he say to Zoro right now to calm him down? He began to shut his eyes, too tired to think. Maybe a quick nap would help...

“No! Don’t sleep now, Luffy!” The worried voice spoke again, and Luffy let out a sigh.

He tilted his head slightly, to see the hallways of his new school flash by him. Quickly regretting his decision to observe his surroundings, Luffy turned back to Zoro. Zoro was still gazing down at him, eyebrows furrowed and a tight frown set on his lips. He clutched him harder, and Luffy's eyes widened as he felt his rib move the wrong way.

This time he forced his vocal cords to work. “Let... me... down...” he wheezed out.

Zoro gave him a confused look. “What? No, I’m taking you to the nurse’s office.”

“No!” Luffy suddenly shouted an sat up quickly in Zoro’s arms, who fumbled to keep his grip on the boy. _What the hell was I thinking earlier? The nurse won’t help, and they’ll see the marks!_

“Woah! Watch it! I think you’re hurt and I don’t want you moving too much.” Zoro regained his hold of Luffy and continued speed walking down the conveniently empty halls.

Luffy took a deep breath, trying to calm himself as he willed his mouth to keep moving. “I said, put me down. I’m fine, really.”

Zoro’s look of confusion changed to uncertainty. His pace slowed down until he was at a standstill. “Are you sure?”

Nodding, Luffy tried to ignore the massive headache that came from all the movement. “Yes. Now please, put me down.”

Zoro, still a little unsure, hesitantly slid Luffy down until his feet were firmly resting on the tiled floor. Zoro’s right arm remained wrapped around Luffy’s lithe shoulders for support. Luffy painfully moved his bony hand to rest atop Zoro’s arm. “I’m fine.” At the words, Zoro let his arm drop back to his side. Luffy took another deep breath with Zoro watching his every movement like a hawk. “I’m fine,” he repeated, more to himself that anything, “just a little tired.”

“If you were just tired, then you wouldn’t have been in the bathroom literally puking your guts up.” Zoro narrowed his emerald eyes in concern.

Luffy managed a small smile and put it in place. “And maybe a little sick,” he chuckled, but the laughter was hurting his chest so he soon stopped. Luffy coughed and blinked, trying to take control back of his body. The whole situation had made him depressed, and he didn’t want Zoro to see this side of him so soon into their friendship. Shaking his head, Luffy ignored the searing pain throughout his body and found his smile once more. “But I’m better now.” The words were stronger than they previously had been, so Zoro relaxed a little.

“Well, alright... if you don’t want to go to the nurse then you don’t have to. I just don’t want you being sick like this again.”

Luffy turned to Zoro, a true smile in place. From his words, Luffy could tell that Zoro was honestly worried about him. The thought made Luffy happy, bringing forth a rare, real smile. “Thanks anyways, Zoro.”

Zoro turned away abruptly, but Luffy still caught the faint colour of pink on his cheeks. “Yeah, well, if you’re better then I’m going back to class. You coming?”

Though Zoro couldn’t see it with his back turned, Luffy nodded. ”Yep! Lead the way.” Luffy tailed after Zoro on unsteady feet, glad that the taller man was a little way ahead so he wouldn’t be able to see Luffy’s staggering steps.

As Luffy made his way down the hall, he could feel the bile rise up in his throat. But he ignored it, for he knew that he had nothing left in his stomach. Luffy tapped his chin in thought, trying to remember the last time he’d eaten. _Today’s Monday... so last Wednesday?_ He thought back to earlier that morning, when he’d been _so close_ to eating those eggs. But gramps didn’t give him a chance. _He never does,_ Luffy frowned bitterly.

Zoro glanced back at Luffy, who quickly let a grin replace the frown. “You sure you’re alright?” Zoro asked for final confirmation.

“Yes, yes. Thanks for the concern, but I feel great!” Luffy forced his voice to come out strong, which it thankfully did. He almost hated himself for lying through his teeth like this, but he couldn’t help it. After all, Luffy really didn’t want to move away. Again.

Once Zoro faced front, Luffy let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding. _Come on, Luffy. Still gotta make it through the rest of the school day. And then work._ He frowned again, remembering that his first day at this school was far from over.

Zoro and Luffy kept on walking until they reached the locker room, and decided to skip the rest of P.E. while they waited for their classmates in the empty gym. Since they had some spare time, the two changed back into their school uniforms and Luffy, of course, said he had to use the restroom and just switched clothes in there. Now gym had ended and lunch was next.

A worried Usopp came in quickly after the third period bell rang, and soon found the pale Luffy. He decided to voice his concern for their new friend. “Luffy? You okay? You don’t look too good.”

To which Luffy responded with a bright, fooling smile. “Yep! Better than ever! Hey, I never did hear how you handled the bear cubs from your story.”

Usopp then got off track as he was reminded of the tale he made up earlier, while Zoro rolled his eyes. Luffy listened with interest as he, Usopp, and Zoro made their way into the cafeteria. The lunch room was already filled with students who had gotten out of class a little early, and Luffy eyed their lunches enviously.

He tuned out Usopp’s lie of a story and focused in on the lunch boxes and the smell of food in the air. Yes, it had been almost a week since he’d last eaten. So Luffy was somewhat starving. But after recalling that night, Luffy was feeling sick even thinking about eating. Just the thought of stuffing his face seemed revolting. Luffy felt a ghost of a smile form on his lips.

“Hey, Luffy! Are you listening to me?”

Luffy blinked to realization and stared at his two friends. Both Zoro and Usopp held worried expressions. “Yeah, of course I’m listening,” Luffy replied with a dumb and forced smile.

Usopp nodded and continued on with his pointless and never ending story, while Zoro remained staring at Luffy. Zoro frowned. He knew something was wrong with Luffy, he just didn’t know what.

As Luffy’s mind wandered again, and he found himself tired. When was the last time that he’d had a good night’s rest? A decent night where he had slept a full eight hours? It’s been way too long. Luffy sighed as the three made their way over to join Sanji, Nami, and Vivi who were already sitting and eating. Luffy exchanged friendly greetings with the others, but each time he spoke and forced himself to be happy, he felt a little more depressed on the inside.

“Hey, Luffy? Where’s your lunch?”

Usopp’s comment brought Luffy back out of his daze.

“Huh? What?”

Usopp rolled his eyes at his new friend. “Your lunch. Where is it?”

By now the two had the whole table’s attention as things quieted down and they all turned to him. “If you forgot it, then you can just buy one,” Nami suggested.

“An excellent idea, Nami-swan!” Sanji cheered.

Luffy smiled and tried to play it off as nothing. “Yeah, I forgot it. And I don’t have any money to buy a lunch.” Zoro frowned, seeming to think the boy was lying. Luffy gulped and tried to avoid Zoro’s gaze as his green-haired friend watched him with intimidating emerald orbs.

“Don’t worry, you can have some of my lunch. My mom packed extra!” Usopp moved his lunchbox between the two, smiling cheerily. The rest of the table relaxed and continued on with their earlier conversations.

Luffy’s eyes widened as the food approached him. Earlier that morning, he was actually hungry, but now he only felt tired. And also like he was going to be sick again. “T-that’s okay, Usopp. I don’t ever eat lunch anyways.” Luffy smiled worriedly as his new friends turned back to him.

“Luffy-san, I really think you should eat,” Vivi spoke up with clear concern in her ocean eyes.

 _Crap! I said the wrong thing!_ Luffy thought nervously as the whole table gave him their attention.

Sanji nodded, “No one goes hungry while I’m around.” Luffy wondered what the blonde mean about that statement, but at the moment, he had more important things to worry about. Like how his new friends were trying to get him to eat and how Luffy felt sick to his stomach.

“Yeah, go ahead Luffy. Have some,” Usopp pushed his lunch closer to Luffy, who eyed the food wearily.

Meanwhile Zoro was watching the entire scene play out, taking note on how Luffy was rejecting Usopp’s lunch. _Is he really not hungry? Or is there some more serious problem that I’m just not noticing?_

“Um, well... okay, if you say so.” Luffy hesitantly grabbed half of the sandwich from Usopp’s lunch box. “Thanks,” he murmured as the group nodded and went on talking.

Zoro brought to his attention how to Luffy didn’t actually eat the sandwich, and just held it. _Why won’t he eat it?_ Zoro frowned in thought and rested his head on his palm, now clearly showing his staring.

“Oi, marimo! Why the hell are you looking at Luffy like that? It’s fucking creepy,” Sanji commented with a sneer.

“Fuck off, dartboard-brow,” Zoro replied immediately, forcibly tearing his eyes away from Luffy to glare at the blonde.

As Sanji and Zoro ensued in a fight, Luffy sighed with relief. He knew that Zoro was watching his every move, and it was starting to panic him. _I hope Zoro doesn’t catch on,_ Luffy thought as he slowly brought the sandwich to his mouth and took a tiny nibble. Luffy tried eating, he really did, but as soon as he took a bite, he felt like throwing up all over again. But he forced the mouthful down, knowing it would help ease off suspicion with his friends.

Zoro turned away from the annoying blonde and saw how Luffy had eaten some of his sandwich. That’s good. Zoro felt relieved for the teen.

“Hey moss-head! I wasn’t finished talking to you!” Sanji yelled angrily.

“Neither was I!” Zoro growled back.

“ENOUGH!” Nami screamed as she grabbed the pair by their shirt collars and smashed their heads against each other. “Dammit! You two always piss me off with all your arguing," Nami huffed at them, even though Zoro and Sanji had passed out from the impact. Both teens were now lying slumped over on the table and floor.

“Nami, please calm down,” Vivi soothed, though you could tell that she too was slightly scared by their redheaded friend.

“Yeah Nami, chill. You’re really freaking out Luffy,” Usopp said worriedly as he glanced at the small raven haired boy. All eyes turned to Luffy as he sat visibly trembling with his knees brought up to his chest and his arms wrapped tightly around them. His head was resting on his knees, so no one could see his face.

“Luffy? Are you okay?” Usopp reached out hesitantly and rested his hand on the smaller’s shaking shoulder. In response, Luffy flinched from the light touch.

“Gomen ne, Luffy. I didn’t mean to frighten you.” Nami moved to the other side of the table and sat down next to him. “Those two always argue, so I always make them stop. Sorry about that.” As Nami finished, she wrapped her arms around Luffy’s small frame and pulled him into a soft hug. Her eyes widened and her expression changed to fear as she actually felt his slim frame. _Holy shit! Why is he so small? This can’t possibly be normal, or good for him in that matter!_

“Ow.”

Luffy’s barely there comment brought Nami back to the present as she realized that she was hurting Luffy with the hug. _But I wasn’t even squeezing him that tight!_ “Oops! Sorry Luffy. You were just so tiny that I didn’t know you got hurt that easily.”

Zoro had observed everything while pretending to be unconscious, face turned on the table to watch his classmates. _I guess I’m not the only one that thinks something is wrong with Luffy now,_ Zoro deducted from the horrified expression on Nami’s face moments before.

“It’s okay, just don’t do that too hard again.” Zoro could hear the adorable pout in Luffy’s voice. Zoro sat back up in his seat, deciding that he had ‘played dead’ long enough.

“And see! Zoro and Sanji aren’t even hurt.” Nami smiled sweetly at Luffy, who giggled.

“Are you okay, Zoro?” Luffy glanced at his green-haired friend.

Zoro scoffed. “It’ll take more than that to hurt me.” He was going to say more but was silenced with a glare from Nami.

Once Sanji got up from his position on the floor, their lunch table returned to normal. Everyone was eating again –minus Luffy– and everyone was talking and laughing. Zoro was still watching Luffy, more discreetly this time so as not to attract attention from the annoying swirly brow, but Luffy was back to being his loud, smiling self as he had been earlier that morning. After a few more minutes of observation, Zoro decided that Luffy was okay. For now.

Soon the bell rang, signaling the end of the sophomore's lunch, and everyone reluctantly got up from the table. When he thought that no one was looking, Luffy tossed the rest of his uneaten sandwich in the trash. Zoro missed it, as he already started heading to his next class.

“Come on, Luffy! Time to go to biology!” Usopp yelled as he grabbed Luffy’s wrist and yanked the smaller down the hall.

“Usopp, Luffy, wait for me!” Nami called as she ran to catch up with the two. “Sheesh, you should at least wait so we can all walk to class together.” _I need Luffy to stay in my sight so I can keep an eye on him._

“Sorry Nami! Just thought I’d get Luffy to class early so we can get some good seats,” Usopp said as the three continued on walking to their fourth period biology class.

They soon reached their next class, and Nami noticed the paled expression on Luffy's face once he had caught sight of their teacher. Luffy stared with wide eyes at their sensei, who was sitting at his desk and calmly reading a book. _Why does he look so scared?_ Nami glanced at their teacher, and while he was a little creepy, he wasn’t _that_ scary. _So why is Luffy acting like this?_ Nami frowned and turned back to her little raven-haired friend, who was no visibly shaking. His dark eyes were as round as full moons, and a bead of sweat ran down Luffy’s temple. Nami swore that if this went on any longer he’d faint.

“Luffy.”

Said boy turned to her at the call of his name. As Luffy looked into the calming light brown eyes of Nami, he took a few deep breaths to steady himself. And it worked. _I guess seeing our teacher made Luffy afraid... but of what?_

Ω Ω Ω

Law-sensei glanced up from his anatomy book at the arrival of some of his students. _Oh, just Nami and Usopp. And...? Is that the transfer student?_ Law let his coal gaze rest upon the smaller-than-average boy, who was staring back with dark, wide eyes. Law furrowed his brows. _What’s this kid’s problem?_ But instead of being irritated at his new student’s behaviour, Law found himself worried.

Being a biology teacher, Law not only had a passion for science, but also for psychology. And from reading several books about abnormal psychology, he knew that this wasn’t a common reaction for meeting someone. _Perhaps I remind him of someone unfavorable from his past?_ Law questioned himself, but right now, he had to do something to stop this ridiculous staring contest.

He let a gentle smile creep across his face, so as not to frighten the boy any more than he unknowingly had. “Hello, I’m Law-sensei, nice to meet you.” Although his words were soft and kind, the kid flinched from the deep voice.

Despite his own discomfort, the new student politely bowed. “Uhm... I’m Luffy.”

Law nodded, although he had already figured out the boy’s name. He used this moment to analyze Luffy, taking in the entire appearance. _He’s short, lightweight, and has a scar...?_ Law focused in on the small cut under Luffy’s left eye, noting from the scab that it was still healing. Endless possibilities popped into his head on how that could’ve gotten there, but Law would never really find out unless he asked to boy directly. So that’s what he decided to do. “Where did you get that scar?”

Luffy visibly flinched, as if this mark brought up some unpleasant memories. “I uh...” Luffy glanced to Usopp and Nami for support, but the two just shrugged.

_So they don’t know where he got it yet?_

“I... tripped?”

Law wanted to facepalm. This kid was such a bad liar, that he had even ended his statement with a questioned tone. But Law forced himself to keep a neutral facial expression. “You tripped? I see. Be more careful.”

Luffy nodded and moved with his friends to go sit down. Law watched the small teen’s posture the entire time, noticing how he had relaxed the further he got away from Law. _Interesting... I think that I just found a new subject to study._

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Rating may be upped soon.


	4. A Canvas Full of Darkness

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Summer! I'm finally on summer break, which means quicker updates!

 

"Let's do a review on what we learned last week about the cell cycle."

Luffy tried to ignore the coal coloured eyes burning holes in his back as he sat staring at his open textbook.

"The cell cycle starts off with interphase, where Gap 1, or G1, is the first stage. At this growth phase, the cell doubles in size."

Luffy sunk a little lower into his seat as the eyes continued watching him.

"After that, it the Synthesis phase, or S phase. Here, the DNA in the cell is replicated."

Luffy flipped his textbook up from where it was lying on the table to have it stand open in front of him, shielding his face from view.

"Next is Gap 2, or G2, where the cell finalizes growth and prepares for mitosis."

Luffy let his face lie on the table as he tried to hide himself even more. Ever since he had first set foot into this classroom, he hadn't liked his teacher. Law-sensei reminded him of...  _No, I don't even want to think of him._  Luffy frowned, but fear crept into his mind as he heard footsteps coming up behind him.

"Luffy-ya, no sleeping in class."

Luffy had wanted to argue, to tell his sensei that he wasn't sleeping, but he didn't dare. He already knew that his teacher wasn't... _that man_... but Luffy didn't want to take his chances by trusting his new sensei. Still, the voice was deep, and to Luffy, it was the exact voice of one of the people he hated most.  _But he wouldn't come all the way out here... would he? Oh, wait, I don't want to think of him,_  Luffy reminded himself with a pout as he hesitantly sat back up in his seat.

Apparently the teacher was satisfied with the sitting back up action, as Law-sensei walked away. Luffy breathed a sigh of relief as the man continued walking around the class, and reviewing about the cell-something. He could really care less about biology, but Luffy did care how his teacher was observing him. Luffy knew from the evaluating look in Law-sensei's eyes that the man was no pushover, and that Law would find out exactly what was wrong with Luffy. The boy shivered at the thought.  _I'll have to be extra careful at school now._

"Luffy-ya?"

Luffy gave a slight jump at the sound of his name. "Y-yes sir?"

"In what phase of mitosis do the chromosomes separate and begin to move to the poles?"

"Uh,"  _Crap! I wasn't listening!_ He looked to Nami who was sitting across from him, but the redhead shrugged. Clearly she hadn't been listening either. He glanced back to his sensei, who was currently rapping his fingers on a student's desk, awaiting the boy's response.  _Damn, I have to say something! Please let my guess be right..._  "Um... Prophase?"

His sensei's dark eyes narrowed slightly. "Wrong."

Luffy's eyes widened.  _Is he going to punish me for getting the wrong answer?!_ His heart was racing and breathing quickened as the tall man stalked over to where he was sitting.

Law-sensei paused when he reached their table, and he bent over slightly to get eye to eye with Luffy. In response, Luffy sat up straight and leaned away from the man, wanting as much space in between them as possible.

"Luffy-ya."

"Yes s-sir?" His voice was barely a squeak of a reply.

"I know you just moved here, so if our biology class is ahead of where your old class had left off, then you're more than welcome to come to tutoring after school and catch up."

Luffy blinked. He was expecting to be punished. To be yelled at. Or be hit. Or slapped. Or punched. Or even cut. But a teacher suggesting to  _tutor_  him? To say that he was surprised was an understatement.  _Maybe he's just trying to help me...?_  Luffy wondered briefly if he should accept the man's offer, but then he remembered the reality of the situation at hand.

"Um, thanks, b-but no. I can't. I have to work after school."  _And then Garp wants me home straight after that._  Some unknown emotion flickered across his teacher's steel-coloured eyes, one that Luffy couldn't quite place. Almost like the man was disappointed after a missed opportunity.

The tan teacher stood back up and let out a sigh. "Well, that's unfortunate. But remember," his eyes hardened, "if you ever need anything, and I mean  _anything,_  then be sure to come to me. Understand?"

Luffy nodded his head meekly. Though he knew that he would never come to this man for help.

Law gave the boy a satisfied smirk. "Good." He then walked back up to the front of the class and continued his discussion on the whatever-cycle, while Luffy sighed out relief and relaxed for the first time since he entered the classroom.

_I think I'm in the clear... for now._

Ω Ω Ω

"Luffy-san, could you please tell me when WWII started?"

Luffy stared blankly at his new history teacher. "Umm..."  _Shit. I don't know anything about that..._

"I can tell you Robin-sensei~!" Sanji volunteered, waving his hand wildly from his seat with hearts in his eyes.

"Alright then, tell me." Robin-sensei gave the blonde student a slight smile, but her calm face didn't reveal any other emotion.

Luffy sighed in his seat. Luckily, Sanji was able to answer the question correctly, and Luffy was let off the hook.  _I really need to focus more in school. I can't let my grades slip or else Garp will get mad... if only I had a nice teacher like I did before, then it'd be easy for me to get good grades._

Luffy frowned as he remembered his favorite teacher from his last high school. The red-haired man was cool and confident, and Luffy admired him. To Luffy, the man was like the gentle father-figure he never had, constantly smiling and telling jokes, but always strict when needed. "Shanks-sensei," Luffy whispered out his old teacher's name, wishing that the caring man was there for him.

"What was that, Luffy-san?"

Said boy blinked. "Uh,"  _Crap! Did I say that out loud?_ Luffy looked up at his history teacher, who was carefully studying him with calculating blue eyes. "Nothing," he replied, looking away from the intimidating stare, and his sensei nodded and continued on with her lecture.

Robin, like Law and Zoro, seemed to know something was off with the new student. And Luffy realized that their stares weren't the harmlessly curious stares either. They watched him with eyes like hawks, wanting to figure out exactly what made Luffy different.  _I'll have to be careful with her, too._

Ω Ω Ω

"Alright class, today we're going to paint what we feel."

Luffy blinked at the vague instructions. He and Usopp were sitting side by side in their art class, and Luffy stared at his plain canvas, trying to picture what emotion he would put on the blank fabric.

"You don't have to finish today, we can complete this tomorrow if need be." Luffy glanced at his short teacher as she finished giving directions while munching on a rice cracker. She seriously looked too young to be teaching, she wasn't that tall, and having her hair in pigtails didn't help. But he liked his new teacher; she didn't stare at him like the some of the others had.

"I'll put on some music to help us get into the painting mood." And with that, Goldenweek-sensei moved over to her desk, before pressing a button on a CD player. The class groaned as classical music filled their ears, but Luffy didn't particularly mind, the music actually helped him calm down.

"What are you going to paint, Luffy?" Luffy turned at the sound of his name, and he shrugged at Usopp.

"I don't know," he replied honestly. "What about you?"

Usopp grinned. "The ocean of course!"

Luffy tilted his head in mild confusion. "Is there something special about the ocean?"

"Oh, sorry. I forgot you're new." Usopp smiled apologetically before he resumed talking. "Well, when I was little, my dad always used to take me out on our boat. We'd have so much fun sailing and fishing, that sometimes we'd be gone for days on end!"

"Wow, that's really cool!" Luffy grinned back, but felt a little spark of jealousy that Usopp had such fond memories about his father. Luffy barely had any memories of his dad, because when he was little, his dad had killed harsh thought made Luffy a little sad. He didn't really remember his father, but he really wished that he was there to help him now.

Usopp gave a brief nod, before swirling his brush in the blue paints and dragging it across the canvas. Luffy watched with awe as Usopp expertly mixed his colors and began to create something beautiful.

 _I can never make something that amazing..._  Luffy felt a pang in his chest. He wasn't just jealous of Usopp's creative skill. He was upset that he would never amount to anything great or remarkable.

" _You're useless, get out of my sight!"_

" _You'll never do anything great. You'll never be anyone important."_

" _Why are you always such a burden?"_

" _Why don't you just die already?"_

_"You're such a waste of space."_

_"It would have been better if you were never born."_

Luffy slumped in his stool. After so long of hearing those harsh words, he had begun to believe them himself. Luffy tried to clear his mind as the all too familiar feeling of depression set in. But it was too late, and Luffy let out a shuddering sigh as the depression took root in his mind.

 _I know what I'll paint._  He picked up a brush and dipped in in the black paint. He began to mindlessly paint the canvas, letting all his fears and doubts out with each stroke. He swirled the brush around in the paint before returning it to the canvas and continuing with his work. The outside world disappeared from around him, and right now, the only things that were there were himself and his easel. Darkness clouded his mind, and that's exactly what he was painting. He blocked out everything else- his thoughts, the music, and even the people around him.

"Luffy?"

A gentle hand was placed on his shoulder, bringing him out of his painting trance, so he turned to see a concerned looking Zoro.  _Zoro? When did he get in here?_  Luffy looked around at the empty class.  _When did class end?_  He swiveled around in his stool to see a worried looking Usopp on his left. On his friend's canvas was the most beautiful ocean sunset Luffy had ever seen. The blue was mixed and blended to perfection, and the orange of the sun lit up the sky and the dark waters.

"Come on, let's go to our next class," Zoro's voice held uneasiness, but Luffy pushed that out of his mind and grabbed his bag. Luffy followed his two friends out of the class, leaving behind Usopp's masterpiece and Luffy's solid black painted canvas.

Ω Ω Ω

"Welcome to your Music Theory class, Luffy-san, yohohoho!"

Luffy gave the old man a hard look. He was tall,  _very_  tall, and lanky.  _Not at all like Gramps,_  Luffy decided, upon seeing the afro. He gave his new teacher a slight nod, showing he acknowledged the greeting.

"And what instrument do you play?" The tall teacher leaned over so he could get closer to Luffy's height.

"Um... I play a little piano."  _Well, I used to._

"Alrighty then. There's a piano in every practice room if you'd like to play. But for now, you may take a seat wherever you'd like while I give the class directions." Brook-sensei gestured Luffy over to a group of chairs that were arranged in a semicircle. Luffy hesitated, but still moved to go sit next to Zoro. Zoro glanced at him, worry still plastered over his features. Luffy ignored it and stared straight ahead at his teacher.

"Today we'll have free time. You can stay in here and play, or go to the practice rooms, whichever you'd like." Their sensei gave their class a smile, and then left to go to his office.

This brightened Luffy's mood considerably. It had been about ten years since Luffy had even touched a piano, and he couldn't wait to learn to play again. Adding in the fact that this was the last class of the day made everything better. Only one thing could ruin Luffy's happy feeling right now, and that thing was in the form of a person named Zoro.

As soon as Brook-sensei had left his student to their own devices, Zoro turned to Luffy. His usually carefree attitude was gone, and was now replaced with the troubled expression that Luffy had seen him in since gym. "Do you want to tell me what happened in art?" His voice was rough, wanting to get straight to the point.

Luffy, who hadn't been expecting the sudden question, blinked nervously. "Um... well... I didn't really know what to paint... so..." Luffy trailed off and began fidgeting in his seat.

Zoro wasn't satisfied with his half-assed answer, so he tried a different approach. "Luffy... I'm worried about you." His emerald eyes held honesty that caught Luffy off guard.

 _Worried... about me?_  His heartbeat picked up as he stared into the green depths.  _Zoro... he really is worried about me._  He felt glad that someone cared about him this much, so he gave his green-haired friend a slight smile. Not one of his fake ones, but a true, small smile. "Thanks Zoro. But I'm fine. You don't have to worry about me." His heart ached for lying to Zoro, but he really didn't want anyone finding out his secret. Gramps would be furious, and Luffy would rather not deal with another one of Garp's enraged fits. Though it was likely to happen again soon.

Zoro seemed like he wanted to say more, but he ended up dropping the subject, still looking a little unsated with the situation. "Let's go to a practice room," he said after a short moment of silence.

Luffy nodded eagerly, glad to be done with the uncomfortable subject. "M'kay."

The two got up, grabbing their backpacks, Zoro also picking up his instrument, and headed over to a nearby hall which held several small practice rooms. Each room had its own door for privacy, and Zoro opened the door to the nearest one. He switched on the light, and Luffy could finally see the inside of the room. It was fairly small, but still big enough to hold a vertical piano, along with three chairs and music stands. Luffy smiled. It had been nearly ten years since he'd played the piano, let alone be in the same room as one.

Zoro, upon seeing Luffy's reaction to the piano, decided to start up a conversation. "Do you play?" he asked, gesturing over to the large instrument.

Luffy shook his head, a sad and reminiscent look in his dark eyes. "Not anymore."

Zoro nodded, not wanting to press the matter any further.

"So Zoro," Zoro turned at the sound of his name, "what do you play?"

He gave a cocky smirk. "Guitar."

Luffy's eyes lit up. "Really? Sugoi!"

Zoro shrugged, showing it was no big deal, but deep down, he was flattered by Luffy's excitement. Instead of replying, he sat down on one of the chairs and pulled his guitar out of its case. He quickly checked to make sure that it was tuned before he began playing.

A soft, beautiful melody filled Luffy's ears, and he joined Zoro in the seat next to him, wanting to be as close to the sound as possible. His fingers brushed over the strings, as if dancing to the upbeat tempo. Luffy leaned closer to Zoro, and began getting into the song as he tapped his foot in rhythm with the tune.

As quickly as he had started playing, the song ended, and he brought his guitar down to rest in his lap. "Well?" He asked, glancing at Luffy.

"That was awesome!" Luffy beamed. "You're really good! Do another!"

Zoro grinned as he positioned the guitar for another song. This time, Luffy scooted his chair closer to Zoro, so he could hear the music better. Zoro himself was having a hard time concentrating on the notes as he noticed how close Luffy had gotten to him.

This continued for a while, Zoro playing various tunes and Luffy clapping, eagerly cheering him on.

Zoro was warmed by the praise, but the two were interrupted by the bell ringing. "Wow, school's over already?"

"Guess so..." Luffy's voice held a trace of disappointment.

"Hey, do you want to come over to my house?" Zoro asked, not wanting their time together to end so soon.

Luffy smiled sheepishly. "Sorry, I can't. I have to go to work now."

Zoro nodded with an unreadable expression, though inside, he was frustrated. He was really hoping that Luffy would be able to come over.  _But why am I so upset? He can just come over another day..._  "Really, that's too bad. Maybe another time?" he asked hopefully.

"Sure!" Luffy flashed him a bright grin, and Zoro's breath stuck in his throat. There was something special about that smile... and it was something that Zoro wanted to see every day.

Ω Ω Ω

Luffy walked out of the schoolyard with a stupid grin on his face. Minus the incident in P.E., today had been a pretty damn good day of school. He had made a lot of new friends, and they were all really nice. His teachers were kind enough, although he'd have to be careful around some of them. Law-sensei was really creepy, and he reminded Luffy of someone that he'd rather not remember. Robin-sensei was a very calculating person, and Luffy felt those ice blue eyes on him all during class. And then there was Zoro... he was the first friend that Luffy had made, but Luffy was sure that he'd have to take extra precautions around the green-haired teen. Luffy sighed. As nice as Zoro was, he seemed like he wanted to get in Luffy's business, something of which Luffy wasn't too comfortable with.

 _I just hope that Zoro doesn't get any more suspicious than he already is._  He sighed again as he finally reached his workplace. It was a short walk, only about thirty minutes from the school. From Caffee Bene, it was an even shorter walk to his apartment.

Luffy stared up at the building. It was a fairly large coffee shop that seemed very popular, judging from the line that extended out of the store. Luffy made his way behind the building, entering from the back door for employees to use. He came to a hall and swiped his card in the machine to check in.  _4:29. Barely on time. I'll have to walk faster tomorrow._

He continued walking down the hall before ending up at a changing room, complete with benches and lockers for the workers. Luffy looked around, making sure no one was there, before he set down his backpack and pulled out his uniform from within. He shrugged off his school uniform and quickly put on his work clothes, successfully covering the bruises back up before anyone saw. Luffy then went out to the front of the shop, greeting some of his co-workers on the way there. Finally, Luffy came to the kitchen, where he would take the orders to the customers.

"Hey there short-stack. Glad to see you here." One of the cooks with bright red hair grinned at him. His overall look was a gothic one, with all the piercings and heavy eyeliner.

Luffy smiled back to the man before a tray was held out in front of his face.

"Take this to table seven."

Luffy nodded and grabbed the tray, being careful not to spill the coffee cups as he made his way into the chaotic cafe. He passed the counter where people were loudly ordering food and drinks, and Luffy glanced around quickly until he found the table marked with a number seven. There sat a familiar looking girl with blue hair and an older looking man with black hair.

"Here you go, two caramel frappuccinos and a slice of lemon pie. Is there anything else you'd like?" Luffy asked as he flashed the pair his signature smile.

"Luffy!" the girl cheered, which he finally recognized to be Vivi. He wondered why it took so long for him to figure out who she was. "I didn't know you worked here," she commented.

"Yeah, I got the job not long ago," he replied.

"Cool! Oh, this is my dad," she gestured to the older gentleman across from her, who gave Luffy a friendly smile. Luffy nodded back to him. There was a brief moment of awkward silence before Vivi broke it. "Well, I guess we better let you get back to work. It's really busy in here!"

"Yeah, nice seeing you though. Let me know if there's anything else you need!" Luffy gave her a small smile and a quick nod before making his way back to the kitchen through the crowd. On his way, Luffy was shoved aside by a gruff looking customer, and he winced in pain. This occurred a couple more times, each accidental encounter hurting him even more so than the last. Once he had finally made it back to the red-haired cook, he breathlessly asked, "Is it always this busy in here?"

"Not always, but most days." The gothic redhead smirked at Luffy's exasperated expression. "What's your name, kid?"

"Luffy, you?"

"Kid."


	5. A Place to Call Home

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: This chapter is going to be quite a bit darker. Graphic description of child abuse and violence... :( As such, I bumped up the rating just to be safe. Kinda hard to write, but please enjoy.

 

Luffy trudged down the dark road as he headed back to the apartment. His shift at Caffee Bene had just ended recently, and he was actually enjoying the work there. His co-workers were really nice, and had even given him some of the leftover pastries to bring home. And although the coffee shop was very busy, and the customers were rude, the job helped him keep his mind off of things. As long as moments aren't quiet, or at least if he isn't alone, then he doesn't have to think. But now was one of those quiet and alone moments that Luffy truly hated.

Absentmindedly he wondered what state his grandfather would be in upon arrival. Usually, the gray-haired man would either be smoking his seventh pack of cigarettes that day, or deeply confused and unreasonably angry. Or a dangerous combination of the two.

Luffy shivered and quickened his step, wanting to get back to the apartment and face whatever mood his grandfather would be in, and get it done with.  _Maybe I'll be lucky tonight and he'll be passed out drunk._  Although that thought sent a tiny bud of hope to go through Luffy's chest, he highly doubted it would actually happen. Unfortunately for Luffy, his grandfather had a certain resistance to most alcohols, and could only get drunk off the expensive, potent kind. And of course, that high quality of alcohol was much too expensive for Luffy to afford with his part-time job; he was having enough trouble as it was balancing the apartment's rent and living expenses for both him and Garp.

 _I just wish that the old man would've waited a little longer until retirement._  As soon as Luffy had become old enough to go to work, Garp had quit his job as a policeman, seeing how he could relax and let the boy take care of him.  _All he does now is sit at home, drink, smoke, and sometimes gamble with his old buddies._  Even though they had moved, Luffy was almost positive that Garp had given their new apartment's address to his gambling friends.  _They might just make the hour and a half drive out here to see him._

Luffy shuddered and wrapped his sweater tightly around him. He didn't want to think about Garp's old friends. They were just as bad when it came to drinking and smoking.  _And hurting people._  Luffy felt his eyes prickling with tears, but he forced it down. He was taught the hard way that he shouldn't cry openly.

Instead of thinking about Garp's mean friends, Luffy's mind travelled down a darker road in his head. He thought of his mother, whom he had only seen in old photographs. In every picture, she was happily smiling. Luffy wondered that if she was here now, that she might smile at him. His chest felt tight, and for the first time that day it wasn't from the aching in his ribs. It was from the pain of knowing that it was his fault that she wasn't there.

He thought of his father, who his only memories of the man were unpleasant ones. Luffy never remembered his father smiling– not once. The only thing he could recall of his father was pain. Pain, and a body hanging in the closet. His chest clenched again, and although his father had never been nice to him, it was Luffy's fault that he too was gone.

And then he thought of his brother. Ace, who's five years older than Luffy, and could actually remember their mother. He even had some better memories of their father. And Luffy was the one who took them both away from Ace.

This time when Luffy felt the tears, he let them fall. It was his fault that his parents were gone, and it was his fault that Ace had to suffer because of him. Because of that, Luffy believed that he deserved this pain. No matter how much it hurt and no matter how long he begged that man to stop, deep down he knew he deserved it.

After what seemed like an eternity of thinking, Luffy finally arrived at his grungy apartment. He sighed and wiped his tears. He was not glad to be back.

Luffy walked stiffly up the stairs on the side of the building, still a little sore and worn out. He pulled the key from his pocket and opened the door as quietly as he could. Holding his breath, Luffy stepped through and entered. He was silent– no use announcing that he was 'home' to that beast of a grandfather.

Luffy wasn't surprised at the current condition of the cramped apartment. Looking around, empty beer cans and trash littered just about every surface. The air was thick with the overwhelming stench of secondhand smoke, making Luffy wrinkle his nose in disgust. The only thing missing from this overly familiar scene was Garp. He wasn't passed out on the couch, he wasn't stumbling around in a pissed off mood... he just wasn't there.

Deciding to risk it all, Luffy tentatively called out, "Garp?" His voice came out quiet and meek, but it carried throughout the otherwise silent apartment.

No response.

 _Did he go out?_  Luffy thought as a small smile began to form on his childish features. Quickly he searched the few rooms in the apartment, all turning out empty. Grinning, Luffy went to the kitchen. Without Garp here, Luffy would be able to eat his baked goods in peace.

Luffy set the bag of leftover food from work on the counter and grabbed a plate. Even though his grandfather wasn't there, Luffy moved quickly and silently. Garp could return at anytime and Luffy didn't want the man to catch him eating without permission.

Once he was finished putting his food on a plate, Luffy went to the messy living room and began eating. He was itching to turn on the tv, but he didn't dare. Eating without Garp allowing him to was bad enough, so he didn't want to break any more rules by watching television.

But now, as Luffy sat eating, he was alone and things were quiet. Another unwanted opportunity to think.

Luffy wondered when he'd be able to meet Ace again. After all, it had been two years since he'd seen him last. The only problem was that Luffy wasn't sure if Ace would even  _want_ to see him. Luffy wouldn't be surprised if Ace would never want anything to do with him ever again.

_And it's all my fault._

Luffy sniffled and wiped away the forming tears. He tried to convince himself that Ace would be the forgiving older brother that he knew and loved, but the guilt was crushing him inside. Luffy looked down at his plate, still nearly full of cookies and brownies, and sighed. Luffy picked up a chocolate brownie and began nibbling on it when he heard a loud bang from behind him. Luffy yelped and jumped in his seat, quickly turning around.

There, standing in the doorway, was the figure of the man Luffy hated the most.

"And what are you looking at?" The voice slightly slurred.

Luffy snapped his head forward to look straight ahead at the living room. "Nothing, s-sir."

Luffy sat upright on the sofa, nervously waiting for what he knew was about to come. In the silence of the apartment, Luffy could hear as the man took several unsteady steps into the room, slamming the door behind him.

"How was school?" The sound of footsteps neared even closer.

Taking a deep breath to calm himself, Luffy managed a weak response. "G-good, sir."

"Good? Hm. Did you make any new friends?" he asked with a sinister chuckle.

Luffy gave a slight nod to the man who was now directly behind him. "Yes, sir."

At this, his grandfather howled out with laughter while Luffy cringed. "As if... as if anyone would want to be friends with a freak like you!"

His out of control bellow startled Luffy, who now began shaking in his seat. The terrifying laughter continued, while Luffy stayed planted on the sofa. He knew what was coming, and soon.

Suddenly the mad laughing fit stopped, and all was quiet. Then he spoke again, his deep, menacing voice cutting through the silence like a knife. "Aww, are you scared?"

This time Luffy held his tongue, as his whole frame trembled. He didn't trust his voice at the moment. Luffy closed his eyes as a large hand was placed on his shoulder.

"Well... you should be." The grip tightened and suddenly Luffy felt his body jerk backwards and fly through the air.

Pain exploded throughout Luffy's back as it connected with the wall. He fell to the floor with a loud thump, but he knew better than to cry out. Instead, he looked up slightly to see what Garp's next move would be. Garp was standing behind the now overturned sofa with his back towards Luffy. Luffy watched him carefully, waiting for the slightest movement. But the older man only stood there, as if thinking about something. That something became very clear when Garp spoke.

"So... had yourself a snack of cookies and brownies, did ya?" His voice was cool and collected, but Luffy knew better than to think that he was actually calm. No, this quiet demeanor was masking a bubbling rage that would soon explode. Luffy had seen it happen all too many times before.

Garp picked up the plate and held it, silently turning it over in his hands. Suddenly his hand shot out, launching the glass plate across the room, where it shattered on the wall. Luffy flinched at the loud noise and cowered when Garp rounded on him. His calm presence had long since vanished, and his face was lined with malice.

"You damn brat! You know you aren't supposed to eat until I let you!" He marched over to where Luffy was kneeling on the floor, and gave him a swift kick in the gut.

Luffy doubled over in pain, clutching his sides as Garp continued yelling at him.

"I gave you clothes! I gave you a home! I fucking took you in and cared for you when  _no one wanted you!_  And what do you repay me with?!"

Luffy recoiled against the wall in terror as the violent kicks resumed.

"You go behind my back and break my rules... what an ungrateful brat you are," Garp snarled as he picked Luffy up by his shirt collar, and Luffy was once again reminded why he was glad his new school uniform didn't have a tie.

"I took you and your brother in out of the goodness of my heart... the least you can do is follow my damn rules!" Garp bellowed, spit flying from his large mouth.

 _Goodness of your heart, my ass._ Luffy thought while he looked down and kept his mouth shut. At times like these, it's better for Luffy to just let Garp to take his anger out on him.

"Why do you always cause so much trouble?! Every bad thing that happens is always your fault!" Garp's free hand constricted around Luffy's neck, grasping it hard.

Luffy tried crying out in pain, but found he couldn't even take a breath. He reached his hands up and tried grabbing onto Garp's arm to make him let go, but it was all in vain as the grip on his neck only tightened. Luffy felt tears threaten to escape as he gasped for air. His vision was going fuzzy and he felt close to passing out.

"Why are you always so much trouble?! Why are you always such a burden?" Garp's words became quieter and the grip on Luffy's neck loosened.

And then the large hand was gone, and Luffy fell to the floor once more, coughing and gasping uncontrollably. His throat felt as though it were on fire, and it burned with an unpleasantly painful sensation. He coughed a few more times, gagging when he spit up some blood, and tried to take deep breaths.  _At least Garp is letting me catch my breath._  He choked on the rest of the blood that was in his mouth and spat it out in revulsion.

Once Luffy began breathing normally, he looked up at Garp to see what he'd do next. He was hoping that since Garp hadn't done anything for a few moments that it would finally be over, but the expression on Garp's face told otherwise. No... this was going to be a long night.

The larger man was staring down at him with several dark emotions plastered over his wrinkly face. Luffy could easily recognize the hatred and disgust, but deeper down Luffy could sense his sadness. Sadness... mixed with disappointment and utter defeat.

"Why?" Garp's voice came out broken and despairingly sad. "Why did you take my beloved son away from me?"

Luffy felt that same pain from earlier. Not the one in his aching ribs, but the one that crushed his heart. No matter how bad Garp hurt him, Luffy truly deserved it.

Suddenly Garp's gray eyes flashed dangerously. "It's all your fault," he spat. Garp reached down and gripped Luffy firmly by the roots in his hair, and dragged him to the kitchen. Luffy knew what was coming next as he scrambled around frantically, trying to get free.

"No, please! Not the knife again!" Luffy pleaded as the tears rolled down his face.

"Stop your crying and shut the hell up!" Garp yelled as he brought his hand down hard on Luffy's cheek.

Luffy's eyes widened slightly, but instead of more useless begging he bit down hard on his lip. Luffy tried to focus on the pain in his now bleeding lip to distract him from crying. And it worked, until he saw Garp grab the knife from the counter.

"I said to stop those damn tears!" Garp clutched the knife in his hand and smashed it into Luffy's left shoulder. The blade dug down deep, and Luffy screamed from the pain.

"Shut the fuck up you damn brat!" Garp sneered as he twisted the blade in place and blood pumped profusely from the wound.

Luffy wanted to yell again. Hell, he wanted to scream bloody murder, but he knew that if he did, this would only last longer. So he bit into his lip, harder this time, and restrained himself from crying out.

"It's your fault!" Garp shouted directly in his face. "Why did you kill my son?!"

This was a one-sided conversation that Luffy and Garp had had countless times before. So rather than answering, Luffy clenched his mouth shut.  _Just let Garp have it out, and it will all be over,_ he reminded himself.

"WHY?! Why did you do it?" Garp yanked the knife from Luffy's shoulder roughly and sliced it downward on his arm. "Why did you kill him!?"

Tiny tear buds formed in Luffy's eyes, but he refused to let them fall. He had dealt with much more pain before. This, he could withstand.

"Tell me, damn it!" Garp wailed. Startled, Luffy looked up to see tears in the older man's eyes.

For the first time since Garp had come back to the apartment, Luffy was surprised. No, Luffy wasn't surprised when Garp threw him across the room, kicked him mercilessly while he was down on the floor, when he nearly choked him to death, stabbed and cut him in the arm, or even when he yelled and asked why he killed his son. Luffy was surprised that  _Garp_ , his own grandfather and a man known for his cruelty, was  _actually_ shedding tears, something that Luffy had never seen before. Hell, he never thought it was possible in the first place.

A deep slash to his forearm quickly brought Luffy out of his daze. He let his teeth dig back into the bloody flesh of his lip, as he tried not to shriek from the pain.

Garp lowered his face so he could look Luffy directly in the eye. His expression was one of complete rancor and resentment, and in the coldest tone possible, he muttered, "You should never have been born."

Luffy looked down, ashamed to know that this man was speaking the truth. After all, if he was never born, then his mother wouldn't have died, his father wouldn't have hung himself, and Ace wouldn't have had to go away to that rehab school for six long years. Things would have been much better if Luffy was never born.

Garp tightened his grip on the knife as he narrowed his eyes at the young boy beneath him. "I fucking hate you! Why the hell did you take my son away?!" The next attack was swift and painfully accurate as Garp slashed through Luffy's school uniform to the delicate skin underneath. The blade slid across the already bruised flesh, leaving behind a trail of scarlet that oozed from each new wound.

Clenching his eyes shut, Luffy lay there and waited for this to end. He desperately wanted to cry out, to scream as if there were no tomorrow and let the tears run free... but he had been taught the hard way not to do any of those. If he went ahead and cried or screamed, then this punishment would only last that much longer.

The clatter of the knife as it hit the tiled floor registered in his mind, and he no longer felt the icy edge of the blade slice through his wounded skin. Luffy opened his eyes, and saw Garp stiffly getting up off of the floor. Luffy's onyx eyes trailed after Garp's form as it disappeared down the hall and into his room. Without so much as another word, Garp had left Luffy lying alone, battered and bleeding, on the kitchen floor.

But that was normal.

Finally, he was alone, and finally, he could cry. As long as he kept quiet. The tears spilled out of his eyes as Luffy painfully crawled into a fetal position, wary of his wounds. He buried his face into his good arm, and sobbed silently. He wanted to die. He just wanted to get out of this cruel and unforgiving world, but Luffy knew he couldn't. For the same reason Luffy couldn't tell the police about what Garp did to him, Luffy couldn't take his own life.

He was scared.

So rather than disappearing from existence, Luffy lay curled up on the dirty floor, crying his heart out. This type of thing would happen whenever Luffy was still conscious after Garp was finished with him.

After several hours of this depressed state, Luffy hauled himself to a standing position. He wobbled slightly, looking at the clock on the microwave. It read 4:17 am. Garp would surely be sleeping by now. Luffy decided that now would be the best time to get himself cleaned up. He headed off down the hall, and reached the bathroom while being as quiet as possible. Luffy silently closed the door behind him, and breathed a sigh of relief that Garp wasn't coming after him. Then Luffy stood in front of the mirror to check the damage.

 _Garp was really rough tonight,_  Luffy frowned. He had dealt with worse pain before, but this time Garp sure was careless about where he left a mark.

Luffy was extremely pale, with dark bags under his eyes and wildly messy raven hair, per usual. But he was sporting a new bruise on his left cheek, which would need to be covered up before school. His neck was growing darker by the minute with large bruises in the shape of a hand.  _I'll have to wear my shirt collar a little higher,_ Luffy decided as he continued examining the rest of his injuries.

His plain white shirt was ripped open, revealing a mass of fresh cuts that wouldn't heal anytime soon. The worst part about that knifing session was the fact that Luffy's left arm was barely moving. It seemed to take the worst damage from the punishment, with a deep stab wound in the shoulder and a long gash running down his arm. Each small movement from that arm was more painful than each breath that Luffy took from his injured chest, and that was saying something.

Luffy grabbed a washcloth and turned on the sink, putting it on a low setting to keep quiet. He let the hand towel soak up the water before he ran it down his left arm. Luffy hissed with pain, but knew that he would have to clean each wound before wrapping them. After he washed away all the dirt and dried blood, he dropped the dirty washcloth into the sink and wordlessly reached down into the cabinet below. With his good arm, Luffy retrieved his first aid kit. He worked silently as he bandaged up his arm and chest, working rather quickly from experience.

Cleaned and wrapped up, Luffy put away the kit and ventured back out into the living room. It was already 4:32, but Luffy didn't feel like sleeping. So he decided that he'd get a head start on cleaning. After all, Luffy wouldn't have any time to tidy up after school, and cleaning was one of his many chores.

Luffy kept himself busy and his mind preoccupied by cleaning up around the apartment, picking up litter and empty beer cans, turning the sofa back over, and scrubbing away any traces of blood from the floor and walls. He worked hard and silently, not allowing himself any time to think. Once the place was back in order, Luffy glanced at the clock. 5:05.  _Damn. That didn't take nearly as long as I thought it would._

As much as Luffy didn't want to sleep, he was exhausted.

Deciding on a quick nap before getting up to make Garp breakfast, Luffy shuffled down the hall to his room. He flopped onto his bed, careful not to reopen his injuries, and tried to sleep.

Luffy really tried.

He closed his eyes, adjusted his position, he even tried counting fucking sheep for God's sake. But sleep would not come.

And now as he lay in the darkness of his cramped bedroom, Luffy had yet another wonderful opportunity to think.

He thought of his new friends at school, and prayed that they wouldn't notice anything different.  _Zoro might. He seemed really worried about me yesterday..._  He was a little anxious, as several people already had their eye out for him.  _I hope they don't catch on._

He thought of his new workplace and silently wished that no one at the coffee shop would sense anything off about him. Nobody at work seemed suspicious of him, which was good, but Kid reminded Luffy of Zoro in a way. Both were very perceptive. Luffy would have to be extra careful from now on.

His mind tailed down to the 'event' that took place several hours before.

' _I gave you a home! I fucking took you in and cared for you when no one wanted you!'_  Garp had yelled.

Luffy felt the familiar prickle of tears in his eyes. All he wanted was a home, a true home. But he couldn't have one. Luffy's hands were stained with the blood of his parents, and his heart was plagued with a disease called guilt. He couldn't really have a home like this. Sure, he could have a place to live, like the apartment right now, but he could never truly have a place to call home.

As Luffy lay, crying silently in his bed, a single thought ran through his mind.  _So much for having a good day._


	6. Broken Smiles

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Luffy's friends are realizing something is wrong.

_*beep beep beep*_

Luffy’s eyelids fluttered open at the sound of his clock. He was dead tired after getting less than one hour of sleep, but regardless, it was time to get up and start a new day. He lifted his arm to turn the alarm off, only to have a jolt of pain shoot through his body. Whimpering softly, Luffy knew that today was going to be even more difficult than the last.

He staggered out of his bedroom and went straight to the kitchen, where he immediately began making Garp’s breakfast. He went through the usual routine: putting bacon in a pan on the stove, cracking the eggs, putting bread in the toaster, getting a glass of milk, and making sure that everything was perfectly prepared for his grandfather. He stirred the egg yolks before pouring them into a pan, and flipped the bacon on occasion. The toast popped up, and he put it on a clean plate along with a generous amount of butter.

Leaving the stove for a short moment, he began setting the table by putting the milk glass and toast plate down along with the silverware. Returning to the stove, Luffy finished making the eggs, and put those on a plate off to the side. The bacon turned a nice crispy brown, and Luffy took them out of the pan and added them to the egg plate. He turned off the stove and moved the pans to the sink to wash sometime after work ended. Luffy moved quickly, not allowing himself anytime to think.

Focusing entirely on getting breakfast ready, Luffy didn’t even notice when Garp walked into the room. He simply kept on setting the table, completely unaware of the other man’s presence.

Finally finishing placing the food, he turned around, just in time to see a large hand come flying his way.

He was slapped right across his face so hard, it made him spin... straight into the still-hot stove.

Luffy wanted to scream as his left elbow landed directly on the burner. Instead he kept his mouth shut, not even letting out a single cry of pain from the burning stove. He fell to the floor and crawled up into a ball, expecting more slaps or punches.

But nothing else hit him, so Luffy hesitantly looked up.

He glanced at Garp, who was glaring at the small boy. Luffy cowered into the corner and wrapped his arms tightly around his knees from the intense gaze.

“Get out of my sight,” Garp growled, and Luffy obediently dashed away.

He stumbled into his bedroom and quietly shut the door, before letting his tears out. Wailing silently as he clutched his burned arm, Luffy went to the moving boxes and rummaged around until he found his spare first aid kit. He pulled out some gauze and peeled off the dried and bloody bandages from earlier and threw them in the trash. After rewrapping his older wounds, Luffy put some burn ointment on his newest injury. He knew he should put his elbow under the faucet to relieve some of the pain, but since Garp was apparently in a bad mood, he didn’t dare leave his room for the moment. He merely put cream on the burn and wrapped it up, even though it hurt like hell.

Luffy was really concerned about his left arm, since it was taking the worst damage. He was barely able to move it yesterday, so he was glad that he got it functioning again today. But adding the burn onto an already injured arm was not a good mix. At least he had some ointment to relieve some of the heat.

It wasn’t like this was the first time he was burned, after all.

His tears had dried by the time Luffy finished treating his wounds, so he went to his dresser and pulled out two new shirts. He slipped the plain one on first, before covering it with the school assigned white long-sleeved shirt. Luffy then put on his black slacks and shoes, finishing his outfit.

It was already 6:38 am, and Luffy only had one final thing to do before going off to school. He grabbed a small black bag from under his bed and opened it, revealing a large variety of concealers. Luffy opened his closet door with the mirror and began putting the makeup on to cover the bruise on his cheek, and that’s when Luffy noticed how pale he was getting. His face was completely white, and he had dark bags under his eyes.

Luffy frowned as he stared at his face. He hated looking in mirrors; they were a constant reminder of how ugly he was.

He finished covering the bruise and put the concealer away. Luffy hated the fact that he had to wear makeup, but it was necessary unless he wanted people to get even more suspicious about him.

Luffy pouted at himself. He hated mirrors, he hated makeup, he hated himself. Maybe he was just in a hating mood right now.

He stared at his unnaturally pale face, taking in the lifeless eyes as he tried to smile. It was harder to fake than it usually was, and it came out slightly forced. Luffy frowned again. _What’s wrong with my smile?_ Luffy was a fake smiling master, so why was it so difficult to wear a smile at the moment? He tried again, meeting little success. _Why is my smile so broken?_

Sighing, Luffy glanced at the clock, which read 6:46. It was still a little early, but Luffy decided that he’d rather get to school with enough time to spare. He grabbed his bag and silently crept out of his room, and sighed with relief upon seeing an empty kitchen and living room.

Luffy exited the apartment and locked the door, before starting off down the street to school.

Ω Ω Ω

Yesterday was Monday. And just like every other Monday, it was only supposed to be another uneventful and boring day of the week. It was supposed to run normally: wake up, walk to school, sit in class, get a bunch of homework that never gets finished, blah, blah, blah. And then the boring cycle would repeat, nearly every day of every week, until the end of school.

But it wasn't boring. It was actually different, and in a good way. And that was all because of a certain raven haired boy that transferred to his school.

Zoro couldn't put a finger on it, but there was something strange about his new classmate, almost as if he was hiding something. It was as if there was a huge burden on those tiny shoulders, and for some reason, Zoro wanted to help Luffy lighten the load.

That was another thing. Why was Zoro feeling so compelled to help this kid? He barely even knew him. He was practically a stranger. But Zoro felt an unusually strong sense of duty to him, like he should be protecting Luffy from something. For that reason, Zoro hung out with Luffy in every class they shared, and even at lunch.

But that wasn't the only reason why Zoro stayed by his side. At first, Luffy was just another annoying kid that Zoro would rather stay away from. But as he got to know Luffy, he realized that there was more to him than just a childish and carefree personality. To put it simply, Luffy reminded him of the sun. He emanated warmth and happiness, and if he wasn’t smiling, then you felt like you shouldn't smile either.

Now how should he describe Luffy's outer appearance?

His jet black hair was short and unruly, and that fit his personality perfectly. Also, he seemed young. Maybe it was just because Luffy was so short and literally a twig, but he seemed a lot younger than 16.

Despite his smaller stature, Luffy had an amazingly powerful presence. His laugh was so loud, that it could easily carry throughout the whole school. And his smile was so big and bright that it made other people want to smile right along with him. Zoro included.

But no matter how loud he laughed or how often he smiled, Luffy was definitely hiding something. And that something seemed pretty dark.

Now on to the many weird things Zoro noticed about Luffy.

It all started right before the school bell even rang, when he first met Luffy. Maybe the boy was just raised to be polite, but normal high school boys don't shake hands with another teen when meeting them for the first time. Their greeting usually includes a lame ‘Hey, what's up,’ or something along those lines. Yet Luffy offered Zoro his hand and very politely introduced himself. Maybe Zoro was just reading too much into this, but he found it odd.

And when Zoro pointed out the time, Luffy freaked out about almost being late. They still had a good five minutes before the bell even rang, but Luffy actually seemed scared. Throughout the day, Luffy would constantly read out the time to everyone so that they wouldn’t be late to their next class. Maybe Luffy was just one of those people who like to be on time everyday, but it was still weird to Zoro.

Also, there was the matter of the scar underneath Luffy's left eye. It was still healing, so whatever happened to cause that cut did so recently. Maybe it was just an accident, but Zoro wouldn’t know unless he asked. _Maybe I will._

And even though Luffy was small and sort of weak looking, his strength was incredible. Zoro still remembered the insanely tight grip that Luffy had on his arm as the smaller dragged him to school. For Luffy's size, that amount of strength was definitely unusual.

Then, before they entered their first period class, all Zoro said was a simple _"What are you waiting for?"_ sentence, and Luffy seemed genuinely upset by it. The change wasn't that noticeable, but Zoro managed to see it. And when he placed his hand on Luffy's shoulder, he could feel just how tiny Luffy really was. The oversized uniform actually made Luffy look larger than he was! Then Luffy gave him an incredibly fake smile, saying, _"I'm fine, Zoro, just a little tired."_ That line didn't fool Zoro at all.

And Kuro-sensei was right. Who the hell transfers in the middle of the first semester? Zoro had overheard Luffy and Usopp's conversation, and when Usopp asked about it, all Luffy said was _"family reasons"_. But what could be the exact reason for Luffy moving here? This was a small town, not much to see, not much to do. Needless to say, Zoro was extremely curious, but he hadn't brought himself to question the teen. Yet.

Everything so far had made Zoro worried, but what happened during their P.E. class was by far the most concerning. Luffy had stumbled inside the building, gone to the bathroom, and thrown up. Then, as Zoro carried the unnaturally tiny Luffy to the nurse’s office, Luffy had been on the verge of passing out. He kept making faces as if in pain every time Zoro accidentally shook him while running. Yet after everything that had happened, Luffy refused to even see the nurse.

_Why did he do that? He clearly wasn’t feeling well, so why didn’t he want to go and get some medical help?_

Finally, at lunchtime, Luffy’s lunch was blatantly unaccounted for. He didn’t even have money to buy a lunch, even though he ‘forgot’ his. Then, when Usopp tried to share his meal with Luffy, the latter had refused. Even when he had half of the sandwich, he barely even ate it.

Zoro sighed in frustration as he walked down the sidewalk to school. There were so many signs that something was wrong with Luffy, but he just didn’t know what they added up to.

_Maybe things will clear up in class._

Ω Ω Ω

“Luffy...” Zoro whispered with concern laced in his voice. “What happened to your cheek?”

Luffy stiffened noticeably in his seat. He had tried to cover the bruise on his left cheek earlier that morning, but it was much too dark and he was way too pale for the makeup to completely conceal it. _What should I tell him?_ Luffy racked his mind for a possible excuse but came up with nothing even slightly believable.

He glanced to his green-haired friend to his left, who was waiting impatiently for his answer.

“Um... I-”

“Zoro-san and Luffy-san. No talking in class.”

Luffy flinched while Zoro scowled at their teacher, turning in his desk to face forwards.

Kuro-sensei glared at the two before continuing on with his lecture. Luffy fidgeted nervously as he still felt Zoro’s eyes linger on him.

He decided to try and pay attention to their geometry teacher, but failed miserably as all he could focus on were the emerald eyes boring holes into his side.

“Ugh... Not fair. Whenever I talk, Kuro-sensei always sends me out in the hall...” Usopp complained from the other side of Luffy.

Apparently their teacher has good hearing. “Usopp-kun. Go stand in the hall.” The booming voice of their sensei sounded throughout the class, and Usopp whined dramatically. Luffy gave him a worried smile, but felt even more uneasy now that it was only him and Zoro in the back of the class.

Usopp dragged his feet out of the room, groaning and complaining all the way, while Kuro-sensei gave him the stink eye. Many students laughed and giggled at the tan teen who was almost always a distraction in their class.

“Alright class, settle down,” Kuro-sensei spoke in a commanding tone as the class clown begrudgingly left for the hallway. “Now, turn to page 173, where we will begin the next chapter...”

Luffy drowned out his teacher’s voice as he tried to ignore the staring of his new friend. He sighed, knowing that the treatment Garp gave him last night wasn’t helping his suspicion at school. _At least the bruises on my neck are covered._ Luffy was grateful that the school uniforms had an adjustable collar, otherwise he would be in a load of trouble.

Sighing again, Luffy turned his gaze out the window to watch the sky and clouds, wishing that he was anywhere else at the moment.

Ω Ω Ω

“Okay everyone, today we’re going to read straight out of our SUPER textbooks! Who wants to start?” Their overzealous English teacher, Franky-sensei, announced to the class. Most students avoided eye contact and looked away from their blue-haired teacher, not wanting to be called on to read out loud. “How about you, Luffy-bro?”

Sanji glanced at Luffy, who shifted uncomfortably in his seat as his classmates turned their attention on him.

“Sensei, since Luffy is new, he won’t understand our place in the book,” Zoro spoke up from the other side of the class.

Sanji glared at the moss-head for speaking. Zoro gave him an equally annoyed glare.

Franky-sensei tapped his chin in thought. “Hmm... alright. Then you read, Zoro. Start on page 94.”

Sanji snickered at the lawn-head’s predicament while Zoro stood up and began to read, cursing under his breath. A huge sigh was heard from his right, and Sanji realized that it came from Luffy. He turned to his raven haired friend, wondering what the hell he was so relieved about.

Then he wondered why Zoro did what he just did. Zoro had come up with a lame-ass excuse so Luffy wouldn’t have to read. _What is that marimo planning?_ Sanji questioned himself silently. And he had actually stuck up for someone other than himself! _Is hell freezing over, or what?_

He had already noticed the staring. It had started yesterday at lunch, with that moss-head staring creepily at their new friend. _What the fuck is wrong with him?_ And it was happening right now. The Zoro, who was sitting front row to the far left, had his emerald gaze focused on Luffy.  

Sanji glanced at the little Luffy to his right, who looked ready to pass out any minute. He was extremely pale, and there was an odd discoloration on his left cheek. It wasn’t that noticeable at the beginning of class, but Luffy seemed to be growing paler by the minute. _Is he sick?_

He then felt a pair of eyes on him. It was that irritating stare which Sanji was able to recognize from across the class. He swiveled in his seat, fixing Zoro with his most deadly glare, which was returned without hesitation. _The hell is his problem?_ Sanji scowled at his green-haired ‘friend’ a moment longer before looking away with a huff of annoyance.

So he turned back to Luffy to piss off Zoro even more.

 _There’s something different about him today. Other than the deathly pale complexion, of course._ Sanji mulled it over while Luffy glanced at him, probably wondering why so many people were staring at him.

Luffy gave him a shy smile, but it looked rather strained and broken. Sanji returned the gesture regardless, and turned forwards to face their annoyingly loud American teacher.

_I wonder what’s wrong with Luffy..._

Ω Ω Ω

 _Something is definitely different about Luffy today,_ Usopp thought with a small frown. Though he had only known Luffy for about a day, the way that Luffy had been acting today seemed much more forced and faked than before.

Usopp sighed and walked over to the restroom stalls. As soon as he and Luffy had gotten to the locker room, Luffy said he had to go to the bathroom. So he went, taking his clothes with him. _Just like yesterday._ Usopp tapped on the closed door, calling out for his friend. “Come on, Luffy. You’ve been in there awhile.”

“Coming,” Luffy’s voice carried out of the stall, and it soon opened. Luffy was now wearing a pair of black sweatpants and a matching sweatshirt. Usopp frowned upon seeing the outfit.

“Sweats again?”

Luffy nodded in response.

“But today we’re going outside to run a mile.”

His dark eyes hardened. “I’ll be fine.”

Usopp wasn’t so sure though. Luffy had a sickly pale complexion, and the bags under his eyes made him seem like he was on death’s door.

“...Alright then, if you say you’re fine...” He wasn’t quite sure what to make of the situation, so Usopp just let it go for now.

The two friends made their way out of the gym, and into the scorching afternoon heat. “Ugh, it’s so hot!” Usopp complained loudly, but then realized that Luffy must be suffering worse than him in those sweats.

And he was. Luffy was already covered in a thin sheet of perspiration, panting slightly with an open mouth.

Usopp frowned again, but decided that Luffy could just take off his sweatshirt whenever he wanted, so he didn’t make a comment.

Luffy and Usopp eventually made it to the track, where Smoker-sensei was taking roll. Once everybody’s names were called, he gave instructions, and then he let his students run. Usopp took off; for him, running was easy. After all, he was the fastest runner in the whole class... wait no, the whole world! _I’ve gotta go brag to Luffy!_

Usopp turned around, expecting to see his friend extremely far behind him with the rest of the much slower class, but was surprised to see Luffy right next to him! “Wah! L-Luffy! I didn’t know you were a fast runner...” Usopp trailed off, not really sure to say.

Luffy shrugged in response.

Maybe he was fast, but the heat and heavy clothing were starting to take a toll on him. He was panting harder now, and sweat was rolling off his face in beads. Usopp grimaced. _That can’t be comfortable to wear in this weather. So why didn’t he just put on some shorts?_

Ω Ω Ω

Nami wasn’t blind. She knew that the Luffy from yesterday and the Luffy of today were completely different. Today he acted was much less enthusiastic than before, and his smile didn’t reach his eyes. Also, his appearance had changed quite a bit.

She first noticed it in their English class, where Luffy had looked really run down and sick. But how he looked earlier in class was nothing compared to how he looked right now.

Nami frowned from where she sat directly across from Luffy. He was as white as a ghost, eyes dark and void of emotion, his smile being a hollow shell of what it once was. All in all, it looked like he had a horribly shitty day. And it was only lunchtime.

“Luffy, where’s your lunch?” This time it was Zoro who pointed out his non-existent meal.

Nami looked down at the table in front of Luffy, where a lunchbox should be, but it was empty. _Just like yesterday._

“Did you forget it again?” Usopp questioned lightly, but his voice held a trace of worry.

“No,” Luffy’s voice was quiet, and Nami had to strain herself to hear him. “I just forgot to make one.”

Nami’s frown deepened. “Do you have any money today to buy one?” Though she felt like she already knew the answer.

Luffy bit his lip and shook his head, eyes focusing on anything but his friends.

“You can share with me, if you want,” Nami offered, slowly pushing her lunchbox toward her friend.

“Ah, Nami-swan is so thoughtful!” Sanji swooned from her left, earning a sigh from the redhead’s lips.

“Thanks Nami,” Luffy murmured as he reached over and grabbed one of her onigiri. He brought the riceball to his lips and began munching on it.

 _Good, at least he’s eating it._ Even though Luffy thought no one was looking, Nami had seen how Luffy had thrown his half of Usopp’s sandwich into the trash the day before. _Why didn’t he eat it? Or was he just not hungry? Or_ -Nami sucked in a breath- _maybe he has an eating disorder?!_

“What is it, Nami? Something wrong?” Vivi asked from her right, and Nami quickly shook her head.

“I’m fine, just thinking.” Nami gave her friend a reassuring smile, and Vivi returned it.

Nami nibbled on one of her own onigiri as she glanced over to her new friend. Luffy was still really pale, but at least he had stopped sweating and panting from all the running in P.E. ... Which was weird because Usopp and Zoro weren’t sweating that much, and they both had P.E. with Luffy.

He was also really skinny, and she had felt it first hand when she hugged him at lunch yesterday. _Maybe he does have an eating disorder..._ Nami thought sadly.

Looking closer at his face, Nami realized that Luffy’s cheek was a weird dark color. _Is that a bruise...?_ Nami hadn’t really noticed it in English, but now it seemed darker.

As if sensing her gaze, Luffy looked up, and gave her a nervous smile. Though he was smiling, his eyes seemed full of worry and pain.

Nami smiled back, but inside she felt even worse.

_Luffy may pretend like everything is fine, but I won’t believe it!_

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was kind of like a filler... not much happens except for his friends realizing that he’s acting more depressed and looking different. Thanks for reading, and reviews are very much appreciated!


	7. The Straw Hat

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays everyone! I was going to post this on New Year's but thought, meh, what the heck!  
> This chapter is even more of a filler than the last, but I bet you all were wondering if Luffy had his straw hat or not... :) Also, there is a flashback scene in here, but since it was long, I didn’t put it in italics.  
> Please enjoy~

 

"Take this to table four," Kid instructed as he handed Luffy two plates with cake slices on them.

"Alright." Luffy nodded, carefully grabbing the plates as he walked over to the table.

It had been nearly two weeks since Luffy had started school and work in this new town, and he was settling in perfectly. Garp hadn't been hurting him that much, and as the bruise on his cheek faded, so did the suspicion at school. His boss had given him leftover pastries every single night, and Luffy would take them to school the next day for lunch, much to the relief of his friends. Apparently they were glad to see him eating his own food.

His classes were getting easier to understand because of his late night studying. Every day after work, Luffy would go back to the apartment and study for hours. Even though he only got a couple hours of sleep every night, if any, all the extra studying was worth it. Luffy really liked getting to know the people and teachers in his school, and they liked him just as much.

He passed through the kitchen and out into the nearly empty seating area. It was surprisingly empty for a Friday afternoon. Placing the food onto the table, he flashed the two female customers a gentle smile, and they giggled their thanks in response.

Luffy made his way back into the kitchen, where Kid was busy making some iced lattes. He had been wanting to get to know Kid better, but Kid had quickly became annoyed by Luffy’s childish personality. So for now, their relationship was strictly business. In other words, Kid didn’t consider Luffy as one of his friends. But Luffy wanted to change that, so he started up a seemingly pointless conversation.

"Ne, Kid?" Luffy asked as he leaned on the counter.

"What?" Came Kid's slightly irritated response.

“What’s your favorite colour?”

Kid blinked, glancing up from his latte making with a confused look on his face. “Red,” he replied, still surprised by the random question.

“Thought so, judging by your hair,” Luffy said with a small smile. “Now ask me a question.”

Kid went back to making the lattes, and for a moment Luffy wasn’t sure if he was going to reply. Without looking back up, Kid asked, “When’s your birthday?”

“May 5th, children’s day!” Luffy replied with another smile.

“That is so you,” Kid smirked.

Luffy laughed at his response. “Okay, okay, my turn again! How long have you lived here?"

The smirk instantly disappeared from Kid’s face, now replaced with a frown. "My whole life," his voice was flat, and his tone held a hint of anger in it.

Luffy quickly caught on to the irritation, but was curious so he decided to press Kid for a different answer. “Do you not like it here or something?”

This time, rather than replying, Kid shoved another tray towards him. “Take these lattes to table two.”

Nodding, Luffy grabbed the tray and decided that he shouldn’t bring this topic up with Kid this again. Luffy headed back out into the seating area, a little less enthusiastic than before now that he made Kid upset. _Looks like I messed up things again..._

Ω Ω Ω

The sun had already set by the time Luffy finished his shift at work. He waved goodbye to his co workers, who all waved back. All except for Kid. Kid didn’t really speak to Luffy for the rest of their shift, and Luffy wondered how bad he had upset him. Maybe he had brought up some unpleasant memories with his earlier question. _I guess I’ll apologise to him later..._

Luffy sighed and continued his walk ‘home’, wishing that he was asleep, curled up in bed. But even if he got back to the apartment soon, he still had homework to complete and two tests to study for. As much as he wanted to sleep, he knew that he had to keep his grades up, otherwise Garp would be angry. And that was something that Luffy wanted to avoid at all costs.

Sighing again, Luffy pulled out his mp3 player that he bought (on sale) with some spare money from work and put his earbuds in. Listening to music while walking back to the apartment was a great way to keep his mind off of things he didn’t want to think about.

In seemingly no time at all, Luffy arrived at the shitty apartment he shared with his grandfather. Taking a deep breath, Luffy made his way up the narrow stairs and to the door. He held his key with a shaking hand as he tentatively unlocked the door and pushed it open.

The living room was shrouded in darkness, as it usually was when Luffy got ‘home’. Luffy swallowed nervously, and crept past the trash piles down the hall. Though for all his caution walking through his own apartment, everything was still and silent.

Garp was no where in sight.

Luffy took another deep breath and steeled his nerves. “Garp...?” He called out, receiving no reply.

He instantly relaxed, deciding that Garp was out at the moment.

Luffy went to his bedroom, and immediately began his homework. It didn’t take much time to finish, as he had already completed most of it in class. It was only 10 o'clock, and Luffy had way too much spare time. Though it was surprising that Garp wasn’t back yet.

Sighing heavily, Luffy looked around his room for something to do to ease his boredom. But his room was boring in itself, with stained yellow walls and a dirty brown carpet, his bedroom barely had any possessions. What little personal belongings Luffy actually had were thrown out by Garp sometime last week. Thinking of that incident again, Luffy felt tears prick his eyes.

The only items Luffy had left were his clothes, and even those remained few. The last treasure Luffy had was his old straw hat, which he grabbed out from its hiding place under his bed. Luffy put his finished school work in his bag and curled up on the bed, pulling his knees up to his chest, tightly clutching the hat.

The silence was unnerving, and for once, Luffy actually wished that Garp was back. Some noise, no matter how unpleasant, was better than no noise at all. But this silence allowed for the darkness to make its way into Luffy’s mind. Most times when this would happen, Luffy would try to fight off the darkness the best he could. But now wasn’t one of his strong moments, so he let the darkness creep in and consume his mind.

His fingers played with the rim of his beloved straw hat, remembering the day he first received it.

. . .

It was getting late. Luffy was already aware of this fact, but he didn’t want to go ‘home’ for obvious reasons. So here he was, sitting on a bench outside of his old school, at 7:30 pm on a Tuesday evening.

He was just relaxing and minding his own business, when a familiar voice reached his ears. “What are you doing here this late, Luffy-kun?”

Though he knew who the person already was, Luffy looked over his shoulder to see the mildly surprised face of his English teacher.

“Just sitting, Shanks-sensei.”

His teacher slowly made his way over to the bench and sat down next to Luffy, who scooted over slightly to make room for the other man. “Won’t your family be worried though?”

Luffy glanced sideways at his sensei, who was staring straight ahead at the darkening sky. _He must think that I had a fight with my family and now I don’t want to go home._ Luffy wished that his situation was that easy and predictable. He brought his attention back to the sunset, sighing heavily as he watched the last rays of the sun vanish into the night. “No.” His voice was even, and didn’t betray any emotion.

This time Shanks turned to him, a questioning look on his scarred face. “What do you mean?”

Sighing again, Luffy brought his legs up to his chest as he wrapped his arms around them. He rested his chin on top of his knees, frowning slightly as he decided on how to answer his teacher.

Shanks took the boy’s prolonged silence as an ‘I-don’t-want-to-talk-about-it’ response, so he sighed himself and looked at the sky again. It was a long while before the silence was broken again.

“I don’t have a family.”

Shanks nearly choked on the breath that caught in his throat.

“It’s okay, though. You don’t have to feel bad.” Luffy turned to the man and gave him a well practised smile. “I don’t want pity.”

The older man merely nodded, understanding that so many people pitying the boy wouldn’t really make him feel better. “I’m sorry.” Still, he felt as though he needed to say those words at the moment.

Luffy chuckled darkly, turning his blank gaze back to the blackened sky. “I said it’s okay.”

The two sat in silence again, simply enjoying each other’s company and watching the now visible stars. It had been a long time since Luffy had been this at ease with another adult, and he wanted to make it last. But as the chilly night air caused him an involuntary shiver, he sighed, knowing that all good things must come to an end. For him, though, much sooner than others.

“It’s dark,” Shanks-sensei spoke, his voice somber. “We should get home.”

Luffy nodded, but decided that he was going to stay out a little longer and try to avoid his grandfather some more. Shanks stood, but didn’t walk away.

“Aren’t you coming?” he asked, seeing as how his student made no move to get up.

This time Luffy shook his head. He didn’t want to lie to his teacher. Giving a heavy sigh, Shanks sat right back down on the wooden bench, surprising Luffy who had not been expecting the action.

“What are you doing?” Luffy asked, his voice coming out smaller than before.

“You’re my student. And if you’re going to spend the entire night out here then I have to make sure you’re safe.” He grinned at Luffy, telling the teen in his own way that he was there for him.

Luffy’s eyes widened, before he looked away. He let a small smile grace his features, muttering a quick ‘thanks’.

Shanks nodded, though something was bugging him. Luffy was always such a happy, smiling kid that this depressed side of him was completely out of place. Then again, Luffy had been acting in low spirits all day today. In class, he had barely talked to his friends and didn’t smile once. This was the first time that Luffy had actually smiled that day, but it was a sad one. Shanks wondered why this was, so he decided to ask the boy.

“Luffy,” he started and the teen turned to him, “Why were you acting different today?”

Luffy stiffened noticeably, eyes downcast with sorrow. "Well... You see..." His brain was ordering him to keep quiet and not trust the man, but another part of him wanted to confide in the other. He decided to go with the latter choice and tell the truth for once. After all, Shanks-sensei had been nice to him so far, so Luffy wanted to try and trust him.

"Today is my birthday."

“Happy birthday,” Shanks said automatically, earning a humourless laugh from the younger. Shanks frowned at this. "But why would you avoid people on your own birthday?"

Luffy was still chuckling, but settled down enough to respond. “It’s not like that. It’s just that no one cares.”

The dark smile that Luffy now had in place was starting to unnerve Shanks, but he ignored it for the time being. “You’re wrong,” his voice was firm and unwavering, and Luffy frowned at the definite tone.

“About?” Luffy ventured, his voice much less certain.

“About no one caring,” Shanks looked into the teen’s obsidian orbs, trying to make him understand that he wasn’t alone. The amount of pain that he saw in those eyes made him wonder what the hell had happened to such a young boy. “I care,” he said truthfully, and suddenly he wanted to do something special for Luffy.

Shanks pulled off his straw hat from his head, holding it one last time, before placing it on the younger’s head. Luffy flinched as the man’s arm neared him, but relaxed upon realizing that he wasn’t going to hurt him. Luffy reached up and felt the worn straw, wondering why Shanks gave him the hat he always wore to school.

“Why did you give me this?” Luffy asked after a moment.

“It’s a present,” Shanks managed a smile. “For your birthday.”

“Oh...” Luffy’s face darkened as he felt tears threatening to spill.

“What’s wrong?” Shanks asked, not sure why his student was beginning to tear up.

Luffy gave up and let the tears fall freely down his face. “No one’s ever given me a present before.”

. . .

Tears were now streaming down Luffy’s face as he clung to his most prized possession. “Shanks-sensei...” he whimpered, wishing that the kind man was there for him. Since that birthday several years ago, Luffy had confided in the man and looked up to him. Shanks was a role model that Luffy desperately needed in his life.

Then Luffy and Garp had to move away, and Luffy didn’t even have the chance to say goodbye to his former sensei. Sniffing, Luffy realised that it had been awhile since he last thought about his old teacher like this.

A loud bang brought Luffy out of his memories, a noise that told him Garp was home. Luffy quickly wiped away his tears, stashing his hat underneath his bed.

He then walked out into the hall, making his way to the living room. Luffy was to always be ready and waiting for Garp, without being called. He stood by the sofa, unmoving while Garp gave him a look of disgust before walking down the hall to his room. His bedroom door slammed behind him.

Luffy stood still in stunned silence. Did Garp just ignore him? Did that seriously just happen?

Nothing like this had ever happened before, so Luffy was curious to know what Garp was doing. Curiosity aside, Luffy wouldn’t just go up to his grandfather and ask him what’s up. No, he definitely couldn’t do that.

After a few minutes of standing, Luffy’s feet began to hurt, so he sat on the sofa. But he didn’t dare leave the living room unless Garp told him to. Rules were rules, even if there was a break in the routine.

A good twenty minutes passed before the bedroom door slammed back open. Luffy immediately stood, hoping that Garp would leave him alone. Heavy footsteps sounded in the hall, followed by a rolling noise, like Garp was dragging something. That something turned out to be a suitcase as his grandfather came into the living room.

“I’m going out for awhile,” he told Luffy suddenly.

Luffy felt his heart leap with joy. It had been too long since Garp had left Luffy to his own devices.

As if sensing the teen’s excitement, Garp fixed Luffy with a heated glare. “I expect all of your chores to be done,” he growled.

“Yes sir,” Luffy replied. For once, his voice did not waver in the presence of this man.

Without another threatening word, Garp moved to the front door, dragging the large suitcase behind him. Judging by the size, Garp would be gone for several days at the least. Luffy could only hope for so much time alone.

The front door closed with a loud slam, and Luffy was finally alone in the dingy apartment. Although it was silent, Luffy was ecstatic about being home alone. Whenever Garp left like this, it was usually so he could go gamble with his buddies. But then, he was only gone a day or two at the most. Luffy had a strange feeling that Garp would be gone awhile this time.

Grinning, Luffy went to the kitchen to make himself some food. Although his boss had been giving him leftovers, there was only so much cake that Luffy could handle. Frying up some eggs, Luffy decided on breakfast for dinner. Or midnight snack, whatever this was. Once his food was done, Luffy set himself a place at the table and for once, sat down to eat his meal, completely unafraid.

He ate his scrambled eggs in peace, actually enjoying the silence for a change. He wondered what else he could do now that Garp was gone... aha! Television!

Luffy gulped down the rest of his eggs and rushed out into the living room before grabbing the remote and switching the tv on. It had been months since Luffy was last allowed to watch tv. He flipped the channels aimlessly before settling down on a good cartoon. Their television was crappy and cheap, and while they only got basic cable, Luffy enjoyed every minute of it. He turned the volume up loud, for once glad to be in control of something as simple as the tv.

By around two in the morning, Luffy’s eyes began to shut from pure exhaustion. Though it was still an earlier time than he was used to, Luffy figured that a good night’s sleep would make him feel even better.

Luffy changed into one of his few pairs of pajamas and crawled into his single bed, wrapping his covers tightly around him. He wondered what he would do after his morning shift tomorrow, and decided that shopping would be a good idea. He was running out of food in the house, so he’d have to stop by a grocery store on his way home.

Maybe I can buy something for me, Luffy pondered the thought, and decided that he needed something for himself. His few personal possessions now consisted strictly of his crappy mp3 player and his cherished straw hat. He could use his extra money to go shopping for himself! It had been too long since he’d been able to do that freely, without Garp breathing down his neck 24/7.

Luffy then thought of Garp, who had left so suddenly. Then again, his grandfather was not the type of man to let Luffy know this kind of stuff ahead of time. He was an unpredictable and violent man, and Luffy hated him for it.

Yawning, Luffy knew that he should get some much needed rest. Although he was cozy and comfortable, something still seemed to be missing. Knowing exactly what, Luffy reached under his bed, patting around until he felt the straw beneath his fingers. Grabbing his beloved hat, Luffy settled back down in his bed, letting the straw hat rest on his stomach as he fell into a peaceful sleep.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for sticking with me! Reviews may help get chapters out faster. ;)


	8. Home Visit

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zoro gets to see what Luffy's home life is like. And it's not good.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow. So it's been awhile since I've updated.... School and work have taken over my life.  
> Anyways, thanks for all the kudos and comments! They really inspire me to keep writing. So thanks everyone, and enjoy this chapter!

Light filtered in through the small windows, and Luffy’s eyes gradually opened. The first thing Luffy was aware of was that his alarm clock hadn’t gone off. But then he remembered that it was Saturday. And even better... Garp was gone.

A grin broke across Luffy’s face. He was finally getting a much needed break, and was actually able to get a good night’s rest and even sleep in for once without having to worry about the consequences. Yawning, Luffy got up and stretched. It was a little earlier than 10, and Luffy’s shift at Caffe Bene didn’t start until noon. That meant that he had a couple hours of free time.

Moving to the kitchen, Luffy grabbed the last two eggs out of the fridge and began preparing his breakfast. After the eggs were finished cooking, Luffy went to the living room to watch some television. He had so much extra time, that he really had no idea what to do with it. But Luffy liked it; it was a nice change of pace from his near daily dealings with Garp.

Still having another hour before his shift, Luffy decided to get a head start on cleaning the apartment. He didn’t do any cleaning for the past two days, so all the trash was really starting to pile up. Even though this was always Garp’s fault, it was always Luffy’s responsibility to clean it up. He picked up the empty beer cans and brought them to the recycling. All of the old takeout containers went straight into the garbage bin, along with the used cigarettes. The apartment eventually began looking livable and normal again.

When it started nearing noon, Luffy grabbed his work clothes and headed out. It was a really nice day outside, sunny with a slight breeze, and it only strengthened Luffy’s good mood. He felt as though it would be a good day, but then he remembered that things were still tense between him and Kid. _I need to apologise to him today._

Luffy went in through the back door, and checked in. 11:55, perfect timing. After making sure the changing room was empty, he changed into his work clothes. Even though Garp had been holding off on his punishments, Luffy’s body still bore old scars. The bruises would heal, but many of the deeper scars would remain. He tried not to look at the marks very often. They were disgusting and Luffy hated them, but he knew that he deserved every single one of the scars.

Clearing his mind, Luffy then went into the kitchen to face Kid, albeit a little reluctantly. Luffy truly had no idea what he had said to Kid to offend him, but Luffy was sure that he had to apologise to him for it. _He just seemed so upset..._

Upon entering the kitchen, Luffy saw Kid preparing a cake. The redhead was avoiding eye contact with Luffy, who sighed deeply and went up to the older. “Hey, Kid, can I talk to you?”

“What do you want?” came the gruff reply. Kid carried on mixing batter, not even looking up from his work.

“Um, well, I just wanted to apologise for yesterday...” Luffy mumbled out.

Letting out a heavy sigh, Kid set down the whisk he was using. “No, I’m the one who should be sorry.”

“What?” Luffy questioned in disbelief. “Why?”

Kid finally looked at him with his crimson orbs. “Well, I overreacted over nothing. It was a touchy subject... So, sorry about that.”

“No, no! It’s fine, really!” Luffy immediately countered, putting up his hands. He was sure it was him who offended Kid, so he really didn’t want the other to say sorry to him. Luffy hated it when other people apologised to him.

“Let’s just put this behind us,” Kid replied with another sigh.

“Alright!” Luffy quickly agreed. Kid gave him a relieved smile, and Luffy returned it. It looks like things are back to normal. Still, Luffy wondered why Kid had reacted the way he did. I probably brought up some bad memories or something. Luffy knew that it happened with him too. If people mentioned something that reminded him of Gramps, then Luffy would get depressed and upset. He supposed that the same type of thing could have happened to Kid. Or anyone, really.

“Alright, then why don’t you help me with these cakes?” Kid asked, moving on from their previous conversation.

Luffy smiled brightly. “Sure thing!”

The two then baked some cakes, and afterwards Luffy moved on to waiting tables. It was Saturday, and lunch rush, so the little cafe was packed. A huge crowd of people were standing in the line, waiting to order, while others sat at the tables, occupying every seat. The line was so long that it extended out of the store and wrapped around the building. Luffy gave a reassuring smile to the two cashiers, who looked frazzled and stressed with the ever growing line.

Luffy had to make his way through the line in order to get to the tables, which was a hassle in itself, especially while carrying trays of drinks and food. Several people in the line bumped and jostled him, and Luffy realised that it didn’t hurt as bad as it usually did. _I guess my wounds are healing well then._ He continued taking food to the waiting customers, who were growing impatient from the long wait.

Nearly four hours of this later, Luffy and Kid approached the end of their busy shift. “Take this out to table one,” Kid instructed, handing Luffy a tray with a single drink on it.

“‘Kay,” Luffy responded excitedly.

Since his shift was almost over, Luffy would finally be able to go out shopping. He’d have to get groceries first, but then he could go shopping for himself. _Maybe I can get some new clothes too!_ Not only was Luffy in short supply of personal possessions, but his clothing was also limited. His wardrobe consisted mainly of school uniforms (several of which had been ruined by Garp), some casual clothes, his work uniform, and two pairs of pajamas. He desperately needed new stuff.

Luffy made his way out of the kitchen, noting that the cafe had almost emptied out by now. Though sitting at table one was a familiar head of green hair.

“Zoro!” Luffy called loudly, almost spilling the drink in his excitement.

“Hey Luffy,” Zoro greeted casually.

“Why are you here?” Luffy asked, setting the tray down and taking the seat across from his friend. During his two weeks here, he had really gotten to know his friends. They were all really nice, and Luffy loved hanging out with them. But most of all, Luffy had gotten to know Zoro, and had even gone over to the other’s apartment after school a couple of times. Luffy wouldn’t really admit it, but he did find the other extremely attractive. He could only hope that Zoro would feel the same for him.

“Well, I heard from Vivi that you worked here, so I came to see you,” he replied, taking a sip of the drink. Luffy watched Zoro’s adam apple bob as he swallowed the mouthful, and quickly averted his eyes before a blush could form.

“Awesome, thanks for coming!” Luffy smiled, bringing his gaze back to Zoro.

Zoro returned the smile. “When does your shift end?” he asked curiously.

Luffy checked his watch. “Umm... in about seven minutes.”

“Do you want to go out after this?” Zoro asked, but quickly realised the meaning of his words. “Like shopping or something?” he clarified, a light blush on his cheeks.

Luffy giggled, blushing as well. “I was gonna go grocery shopping actually, but do you wanna go with me?” he asked with a huge smile plastered across his childish face. Ever since meeting his new friends, it had been easier to smile real smiles. He now smiled much more often than he ever did at his old school, even with the support of Shanks-sensei.

“That sounds great,” Zoro grinned back. He had really grown attached to the little monkey in the two weeks he’d known him. Zoro would only show this happy and unguarded expression to Luffy.

“Great!” Luffy exclaimed. “I’ll go finish up then. Wait for me?”

“Of course,” Zoro replied.

“‘Kay, I’ll be done soon!” Luffy got up with a wave, and went back to the kitchen to get ready.

“Who was that?” Kid asked when Luffy entered.

“Oh, just a friend from school,” Luffy replied nonchalantly, although inside he was bursting with excitement. Not only would he be going shopping, but now he was now going with Zoro!

“He seems like more than just a friend to me,” Kid stated with a chuckle.

Luffy tilted his head. “What do you mean?”

“Oh, nothing really,” Kid grinned. “Just that he was totally checking you out from across the table.”

“What!” Luffy nearly yelled, a blush rapidly spreading across his cheeks. “No he wasn’t!”

“He totally was, and you were checking him out too.”

“No no no no no!” Luffy quickly denied, although he and Kid both knew otherwise. Luffy just couldn’t help but take a peek at his friend’s perfect body while sitting and talking with him. He just couldn’t help it.

“Sure, sure,” Kid chuckled, knowing that he had caught Luffy in the act. “But to be fair he was doing it to you too.”

“Wait...” Luffy paused, trying to understand the situation. “Really?”

Kid’s grin faltered. “You mean you didn’t notice? It was so obvious.”

 _If Zoro was really doing that, then does that mean he likes me too?!_ Luffy’s mind nearly burst from all of the new information and raging emotions. Never did he feel like this towards anyone at his old school. Sure, he thought a few girls were pretty or a few guys handsome, but none made his heart race like Zoro. None had even come close.

“You two need to hook up,” Kid said, bringing Luffy out of his thoughts.

Luffy blinked slowly, speechless. So instead of replying, he merely turned away, trying to hide the obvious crimson covering his face, earning another hearty laugh from Kid. He then noticed the clock, which read 4:02, meaning his shift was over.

“Yay Kid, it’s time to go!” Luffy shouted, turning back around with his blush mostly under control.

“Awesome, let’s go get changed.” His words sent a spark of fear through Luffy. He ran into this same problem too often, it seemed.

The two made their way to the dressing room, Luffy excusing himself to change in the bathroom, and then they clocked out. Before leaving, Luffy went to his boss’ office to receive his weekly pay, also getting some more leftovers. Kid said his goodbye, exiting through the back to get to his motorcycle. Luffy nearly skipped over to the front to meet Zoro.

“You seem to be in a good mood,” Zoro commented upon seeing Luffy’s smiling face.

“Well, of course I am!” Luffy stated rather loudly as the two exited the cafe. “I get to go out with you, after all.” He said the last part as a bit of an experiment, to see how Zoro reacted.

Zoro responded the way that Luffy was hoping for, as he blushed and turned his face away. Luffy still caught the faint pink on his cheeks, making his smile all the more brighter. At this point, he was pretty sure that Zoro liked him too, which was actually a startling revelation. A couple of people had confessed to Luffy at his old school, but Luffy felt nothing for them. He couldn’t date them if he didn’t love them. But with Zoro, everything was different. He had never felt like this with anyone ever before.

A warm hand grabbed his which was dangling by his side, and Luffy realised with a start that Zoro was currently holding hands with him. Zoro was still looking away, but the blush had deepened considerably. Grinning, Luffy tightened his grip on the much larger hand, and the two continued on their walk to the supermarket.

They didn’t speak much, but there was really no need to. They were comfortable in each other’s presence and that was what really mattered. Though inside, Luffy was ready to burst. This hand holding had confirmed that Zoro liked him back. And he was glad for it.

Ω Ω Ω

They finished the grocery shopping rather quickly, Luffy paying and silently saying goodbye to his hard earned money, before the two went on their way to drop everything off at Luffy’s apartment.

“Where do you live?” Zoro asked as the two walked side by side, each carrying several grocery bags.

“Not far, it’s only about a fifteen minute walk from here.”

“Alright,” Zoro replied, a little uneasy with how Luffy called a quarter-hour walk as ‘not far’.

Luffy then began rambling on about his day at work, while Zoro only half listened.

Zoro was extremely curious to see where Luffy lived. Ever since he had met Luffy, he had been highly secretive about his private life. Only after getting to know Zoro for a week did Luffy really start to open up. Zoro still remembered the first day they met, and were in their music theory class. Luffy mentioned that he played the piano, but Zoro never found out anything more than that. He was still curious about it, as he was about many things with Luffy, but Zoro knew that Luffy would eventually choose to confide in him. Especially with the new direction their relationship was taking.

But besides, Zoro didn’t really need to know about Luffy’s past. Sure, it would be nice to know, but he liked the Luffy that he knew now. And at the moment, that was good enough for him.

As they continued walking, Zoro noticed that they were entering the poorer part of the city. Apprehension steadily built up in him as he worried about where Luffy lived. He didn’t want his friend –and possibly boyfriend– living in some unhealthy and shitty building.

His fears were answered when Luffy walked up to a run down apartment. They made their way up the creaking stairs, lugging the groceries, and stopped at a paint chipped door while Luffy got his key out. Opening the door, Zoro realised that the inside was even worse than he had imagined. The outward appearance of the old apartment was actually better than the inside. There were stains on the walls, wallpaper peeling at the corners, dirt and grime covering the cheap linoleum floors, and a smell as though something had died in there. Zoro wanted to leave right out the way he came. But he had to stay and help Luffy... no, he _wanted_ to help Luffy.

“I know it’s not much... but it’s home, I guess.” Luffy let out a nervous chuckle as he set some of the bags down on the kitchen. Zoro followed him into the room, helping to put away the groceries.

Zoro wrinkled his nose at the overpowering smell of smoke. He figured that the person who lived here before Luffy was a heavy smoker, and that the pungent smell remained even after they had left.

He also couldn’t help but notice that the old fashioned cabinets were nearly bare; there were few dishes and literally no packages of food. They were mostly empty, and that sent a wave of concern through Zoro.

“I guess you had really needed to go shopping,” Zoro commented, trying to make light of the seemingly grim situation.

“Yeah.” Another nervous laugh. Why did he keep doing that?

They continued putting the groceries away, tension thick in the air. Once they were finished, they stood there awkwardly, not quite sure what to do next.

“Do you want me to show you around?” Luffy offered.

“Sure,” Zoro replied, still remembering the tour he gave Luffy when he had come over to his apartment for the first time. He supposed that Luffy wanted to do the same for him.

“Right, so this is the kitchen, obviously,” Luffy began.  
“Obviously,” Zoro agreed.

Luffy laughed, and this time it sounded more sure. “Then this is the dining area.”

Luffy’s ‘dining area’ consisted of a cheap plastic table with two similarly plastic chairs. Zoro tried to keep his expression neutral, but was wondering what Luffy’s financial situation was. Though whatever it was, it couldn’t be good, judging by the apartment and furniture. And earlier in the store, Luffy had used a load of coupons, buying everything on sale, consciously double checking all of the prices. Zoro merely nodded, motioning for Luffy to continue his tour.

“And this is the living room.”

The living room was in a better state than the dining area, with a single sofa, coffee table, and television set. Though all pieces of furniture were dated, especially the tv, Zoro supposed that it was better than nothing. Still not that great if he compared it to his own apartment, with large new seating areas and a flat screen tv. Like the kitchen, he noticed that the rest of the apartment seemed pretty bare. It was mainly empty save for a few cheap pieces of furniture. Although if Luffy didn’t have much money to spare, then that would explain it.

Moving down the short hallway, Luffy opened the first door on the right. “This is the bathroom.”

The washroom was in better condition than Zoro had imagined. Sure it was dated, but the whole apartment was old in general. But at least it was clean and had everything a normal bathroom needed– toilet, sink, and tub.

Exiting the washroom and shutting the door, Luffy moved to the next door on the left. “This is my bedroom.”

Zoro felt his heart drop. The room was bare and dirty, with a single bed, nightstand, and closet. That was it... there was nothing else.

“Where’s all your stuff?” he asked, but he felt like he already knew the answer.

“I don’t have much stuff, but it’s all in my closet,” Luffy replied. The nervous edge in his voice was back.

Zoro automatically went for the closet, opening it, and being even more startled. There were only a few hanging clothes and his school bag inside.

“This is it?” he asked slowly, trying to comprehend everything.

“Umm, yeah... but I lost a lot of stuff on the move.” Luffy said the last part quickly, and Zoro was fairly certain it was a lie. And one thing Zoro had learned about Luffy was that he was a terrible liar.

They left the bare room soon after, not really having much to see or say. This whole home visit had reopened some of his earlier worries about Luffy. When he had first met Luffy, Zoro had really been concerned about him. His eating habits especially, and for awhile Zoro and Nami had wondered if he was anorexic or something. Then he started bringing his own lunch, which mainly consisted of pastries. Though if he thought about it, they looked very familiar to the ones sold at Caffe Bene...

A door further down the hall caught Zoro’s eye. “What’s in there?”

Luffy blanched. “That’s my grandpa’s room.” Since Luffy made no movement to walk towards it, Zoro frowned at him, wanting the other to explain further. “He doesn’t really like it when I go in there.”

“Okay,” Zoro murmured, a little unsure about the whole thing. “Where is your grandpa now?”

“He’s...” Luffy paused, searching for the right words. “...out.” His face was noticeably paler than before.

Zoro nodded. Luffy’s reaction was very odd, and his worry only grew. He wondered why Luffy and his grandfather lived in the condition that they did. Really, what kind of guardian would allow Luffy to live in this kind of environment? He would need to have a word with Luffy’s grandfather about this later.

Though at the moment, Zoro was mainly concerned about Luffy’s financial state. It really couldn’t be good, going from the conditions that Luffy lived in. Zoro tried to imagine himself living in this situation, and really couldn’t. This whole place was gross and he just wanted to get out of here.

But not without taking Luffy with him.

“Hey Luffy?”

Luffy turned at the sound of his name. “Yeah?”

“You know, if you ever need a place to stay for awhile, then you can always come to me.” He wanted to make sure that Luffy had a place to go to, if he ever needed it. And what better place than Zoro’s apartment?

“Huh?” Luffy blinked in confusion.  
Zoro sighed. “If you ever need to get away from all of this, then just please, come find me.” He looked into Luffy’s eyes, trying to make sure that Luffy understood how much he cared about him. To be honest, the whole apartment was really shitty, so he could understand if Luffy needed to get away for awhile.

“Oh... alright.” Luffy gave a slight not.

“Okay?” Zoro asked for confirmation.

“Okay.”

The two stood in tense silence for a moment longer before it was broken by Zoro. “It’s only 5:40. We can still do some more shopping if you want.”

“Sure,” Luffy gave him a small smile. “That sounds great.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally, some ZoLu fluff. I'm going to try and set up a regular update schedule, probably at the beginning of each month.


	9. An Unexpected Visitor

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ZoLu confirmed, teenage romance and awkward boners ahead!

It was now Friday morning, and Garp was thankfully still absent. Luffy hadn't heard anything from his grandfather since he had left so abruptly the week before, and he wasn't really expecting to. Since Garp wasn't there to hurt him anymore, Luffy's wounds were healing well. He still had to go to the restroom to change during gym because of the scars, but at least he wasn't in pain every time he moved.

He could really get used to this.

Work was going well, and his boss had even offered him a raise because of all his hard work, whichever Luffy graciously accepted. He didn't even mind going to work now, since he had Kid to keep him company. Sometimes, Zoro would even show up and order something, just to be near Luffy.

Speaking of Zoro, the two were now officially going out. Luffy had been a little worried about how their friends would react, but they merely congratulated them and said, "It's about time!" At his old school, he never had friends that were so accepting. But here, Luffy they were all so close that Luffy thought of them as his family.

He and Zoro had gone on a dinner and movie date on Sunday, and luckily for Luffy, Zoro paid. Luffy offered to pay his share, but Zoro said it was his treat. They had gone to a pizza place, not the most romantic setting, but it was perfect for Luffy. After that, they went to go see a romantic comedy movie. Luffy hadn't been to the movies in years, so it was really special that he got to go with Zoro. Throughout the movie, their hands had been intertwined on the arm rest.

Smiling, Luffy continued his walk to school as he thought back over their date. He saw Zoro standing a little ways down the road, and Luffy rushed up to meet him.

"Zoro!" he called.

"Hey Luffy," Zoro greeted, pulling his boyfriend in for a quick hug. Luffy giggled, a bit embarrassed, but hugged back nonetheless. Physical contact that wasn't violent was still pretty new to Luffy, but he liked it since it came from Zoro. He pulled out of the hug, but held onto Zoro's hand so the two could walk to school.

"How was your evening?" Zoro asked, giving his hand a little squeeze.

"Great! I didn't have any homework, so I got to watch tv all night!" Luffy exclaimed.

Zoro chuckled, and the two made idle chatter as they continued walking to school. They both had algebra 2 first period, so they made their way to Kuro-sensei's class. Their teacher had been tempted to move their desks apart when he found out that Zoro and Luffy were dating, but he let it be since Luffy was still new at the school. Besides, Zoro hadn't acted out since Luffy was there to keep him in line, for which Kuro-sensei was grateful. Not that he showed it, of course.

Their class passed by pretty quickly, reading a couple pages from the textbook and doing worksheets on them. Luffy was even able to finish his work in class, so he wouldn't have to do it later. He and Zoro had English next, which passed by just as uneventfully quick. Their teacher had them do a writing assignment, which they finished in half an hour. The rest of the class was free time, which he used to catch up with Nami and Vivi. Zoro and Sanji argued for awhile, until Nami violently put and end to it. Luffy looked away while she crashed their heads together, not really wanting to see the violence.

Next they had PE, and Luffy excused himself to the bathroom to go change. It had become the norm for them all, so neither Zoro nor Usopp had questioned Luffy doing it. They stayed inside that day, occupying the weight room to lift weights and use the other exercise equipment, and Luffy was glad for not having to go outside in the heat.

"Woah Zoro! That's awesome!" Luffy exclaimed in awe as he watched his boyfriend lift nearly three hundred pounds of weights.

"This is -hah- nothing," Zoro replied, sweating heavily from his position bench pressing the weights.

"He's right, that's nothing," Usopp butted in. "I once lifted six hundred pounds!"

"Sugoi! Really?!" Luffy questioned with stars in his eyes.

"Pfftt! Of course," Usopp lied with a nonchalant wave of his hand.

Without Luffy's attention on him, Zoro set down the weights to take a breather. Luffy and Usopp continued chatting, Usopp laughing at Luffy for only being able to lift a hundred pounds. Luffy merely laughed it off with him.

When lunchtime rolled around, Luffy brought his lunchbox of pastries from Caffe Bene, and happily ate them. Zoro observed with concern, wondering why Luffy was bringing leftovers from work instead of actual lunch food. He was tempted to comment on it, but knew that Luffy would feel uncomfortable being the center of attention, even in their small group of friends.

So Zoro decided to let it go, and ask Luffy about it later when they were alone.

Luffy, Nami, and Usopp all had biology next with Law-sensei, who Luffy promptly ignored the entire period. He knew that Law was observing him for some reason, so he ignored it the best he could. Law-sensei offered to tutor Luffy again at the end of class, but again, Luffy declined. Still, he was surprised that his teacher was taking such an interest in him. The only other teacher that had was Shanks-sensei.

After biology, Luffy and Usopp walked together for sixth period art, and met up with Zoro who had study hall. He had been using his free period to spend more time with Luffy, much to his enjoyment.

“Alright class,” Goldenweek-sensei announced, gaining the class’ attention. “We’re going to pick back up that project from a few weeks ago, you know–” she paused to munch on a cracker, “–the ‘paint your feelings’ one. We’ll be doing that again today.”

Grinning, Luffy turned to Usopp. “What are you gonna paint?”

“Hmm, not sure yet.” Usopp tapped his chin in thought. “I painted the ocean at sunset last time, so maybe now I’ll paint the ocean at sun _rise_!”

 _Isn't that basically the same thing?_ Luffy chuckled. “Should’ve known it’d be the ocean again.”

“Yeah, since that’s all he ever paints or draws,” Zoro added.

“Shush!” Usopp scolded. “I’m trying to get in the zone.”

Luffy and Zoro both rolled their eyes at that. “What are you going to paint, Lu?” Zoro asked, and Luffy blushed slightly from the nickname.

“Uhh, not sure...” he trailed off, remembering his solid black painted canvas from last time. At that time, he wasn’t feeling much. He was weighed down with Garp’s near daily physical and emotional abuse, and a lifetime of it. But now, he was learning to open up to his friends, and even romantically involved. Such a change in such a short time was quite amazing.

 _I know what I’ll paint._ Luffy got up from his chair and went to the back room where all the old canvases were stored, and sifted through them until he found his old one. He grabbed it, asked his teacher for permission with what he was about to do, grabbed some paints, and grabbed Zoro.

“Where are we going?’ Zoro questioned as Luffy dragged him by his hand.

“Outside,” Luffy replied simply.

They went out one of the side doors, and Luffy laid his canvas on the grass.

“Your old painting?” Zoro asked and Luffy nodded in response. “What are you going to do with it?”

“You’ll see,” Luffy gave his boyfriend a sly smile as he grabbed two bottles of paint, a neon pink and light green. He then uncapped them, and flicked his wrist to splatter the paint on his canvas.

“Oh I see,” Zoro remarked with a smile. “Splatter paint.”

“Yep! Wanna help?” Luffy laughed as he offered Zoro another paint bottle.

The two then proceeded to splatter the canvas with an assortment of colors. His picture was no longer a depressing solid black, but a random and happy bright work of art. The paint went everywhere, all over the grass (for which Luffy was glad they were outside) and even on them. Both he and Zoro laughed as the paint splattered a little on their clothes, but they didn’t care. They were having fun together and that was what mattered.

Ω Ω Ω

School was almost over, and Luffy and Zoro were together for their last period music theory class. Brook-sensei let the class have free time to play whatever they wanted, so Zoro led Luffy to one of the practice rooms. Zoro grabbed his guitar and began strumming a few tunes, which Luffy nodded his head in time to. This was what they usually did during this class, hang out in a practice room with Zoro’s guitar and light tunes in the air.

Zoro glanced over to the piano in the corner, and decided to risk it. “Hey Luffy?”

“Yeah?”

“You said you played the piano before.”

“...Yeah, and?” Luffy’s voice now had a wary edge to it.

Zoro took a deep breath. “Do you wanna tell me about it?”

Luffy thought for a moment. It wasn’t as though he didn’t trust Zoro, because he did, but he had never told anyone about this before. But so much had changed since he had moved here. Luffy was finally opening up and letting others help him. “Sure,” Luffy finally decided.

Relaxing his posture, Zoro set down his guitar to let Luffy speak. “My mom loved the piano. She played it all the time...” Luffy trailed off and Zoro waited patiently for him to continue. “But that’s from what I heard. I never knew her.”

Zoro immediately frowned. He knew that this conversation must be difficult for Luffy to have, so he grabbed his boyfriend’s hand and squeezed it for support. Luffy hesitantly squeezed back and continued. “She taught my brother how to play, and he taught me. I was about six then, but that was a bad time for my family...” Luffy’s grip tightened on Zoro’s hand. “So I didn’t play much after that.”

Zoro was speechless from all this new information. He knew that Luffy didn’t have parents since he said that he only had Garp, but to never know your mother? And since when did Luffy have a brother? Where is he now? Why hadn’t Luffy mentioned his brother before? He had about a million questions to ask, but Zoro could see the strain in Luffy’s face just from talking about this little bit of his past. He knew he could wait awhile to find out more, so he raised Luffy’s hand and kissed the back of it.

“Thanks for telling me,” Zoro nearly whispered.

Luffy let out a breath, and gave Zoro a relieved smile. “You know, I actually feel a little better.”

Zoro smiled to match Luffy, and the tense atmosphere evaporated immediately. They were back to chatting and Zoro playing his guitar.

But Zoro didn’t miss the way Luffy gazed at the piano longingly.

Ω Ω Ω

School was finally over, the new couple walking together to hang out at Zoro’s house. Luffy had the day off, so they decided to celebrate by playing video games and ordering pizza.

“What kind of pizza do you want, Lu?” Zoro asked as he swung their intertwined hands between them.

“Hmm... One with lots of meat!” Luffy cheered.

Zoro chuckled and the two finally reached Zoro’s apartment. He lived on the first floor, so they didn’t have to walk up any stairs. Zoro detached his hand from Luffy’s so he could grab his key, and unlocked the door. Luffy had been over many times, and knew the place quite well. As such, Luffy had no problem making himself at home by launching himself on the sofa and stretching out all over it.

Zoro merely rolled his eyes at his adorably ridiculous boyfriend and grabbed the phone to place their order. After calling the pizza place, Zoro turned to Luffy. “What do you want to do until the pizza gets here?”

“Let’s play some Call of Duty or something,” Luffy replied. He didn’t know how to play very well–since he had never played any form of video game before–but Luffy did know that Zoro enjoyed it, so he wanted to play for him.

“Alright,” Zoro said, moving to turn on his flatscreen tv.

Luffy idly wondered if he could ever afford something like that, but then realized that Garp would either break it or sell it to make some quick cash. Besides, by paying for all their bills, Luffy barely had enough money to pay for Garp’s cigarettes and liquor, even though it was the cheap kind.

“What’s wrong?”

Luffy snapped out of his thoughts, and realised that he had been frowning. “What?”

Zoro furrowed his brows. “You were frowning.”

“Oh... I– I guess I was thinking about bills or something,” Luffy replied uneasily. He couldn’t quite tell Zoro about his money troubles, especially how Garp was the cause of it.

Zoro put the game in his Xbox and shut the cartridge. This was a conversation that he had been wanting to have with Luffy, and it looked like now was the perfect opportunity. “Luffy?”

“Yeah?”

“You know, if you ever have money problems, you can always come to me for help,” Zoro stated earnestly.

Luffy blinked. “What?”

“Well, if you’re behind on bills, then I can help you out.” He turned to face Luffy, to show him how serious he was. “You mean a lot to me, so if there’s anything I can do, just let me know.”

“Oh, I, uh–” Luffy stammered. Zoro had said something similar to this the first time he went over to Luffy’s apartment, but having him say it like this... it showed how much he cared about Luffy. “Um– thanks, Zoro.” Luffy wasn’t quite sure what else to say. Sure, he was behind on several payments, but he couldn’t just take Zoro’s money, even if his boyfriend was offering it.

“Please, Lu. I want to be there to help you.” Zoro’s eyes shone with an intensity that Luffy hadn’t seen there before.

“...Alright…” he agreed hesitantly. “Actually, I need to pay off last month’s rent…”

“Done,” Zoro said, leaning back with a determined smile. “Just let me know how much.”

Luffy blinked. “Seriously?”

“What?”

He couldn’t believe it. Ever since Garp had retired from the police department, Luffy had been the one to handle all the expenses. It had been hard, juggling school and long hours at work, only to come back to that stinky apartment and have Garp waste the rest of their money on drugs and alcohol. Before he knew it, a tear slid down his cheek.

“Luffy?” Zoro questioned in concern.

“Eh? Uh, I–” Luffy stumbled over his words as he quickly wiped away the tears. “Sorry,” he sniffled, “I just felt so relieved that I can depend on someone.”

Ω Ω Ω

When their pizza arrived, Zoro and Luffy settled down on the couch with some random movie on Netflix playing. Luffy wasn’t paying much attention to the movie, still too caught up in their earlier conversation. So much had happened that day, and it exhausted Luffy just to think about it. He had confided in Zoro a little about his past, and made the hard decision to accept some of Zoro’s money to pay the bills.

“You alright?”

Zoro’s whispered voice sounded from beside him. Luffy nodded with a smile, and snuggled even closer to the other. A protective arm was wrapped around Luffy’s shoulders, drawing him into Zoro’s side.

With relaxed sigh, Luffy leaned his head on Zoro. He couldn’t have asked for a better boyfriend.

He idly nibbled on a piece of sausage pizza as he turned his attention back to the film. Luffy had no idea what was happening, since he wasn’t exactly paying attention from the beginning, but he didn’t care. As long as he was with Zoro, he was happy. He was safe. Zoro would never hurt him like his grandfather… or even his brother.

Thinking of Ace always left a bitter taste in his mouth. He loved his brother, he really did, but Ace had left him his own share of painful memories and scars. Still, Luffy wished that his brother was with him. Then he wouldn’t have to deal with Garp on his own. He hoped that wherever Ace was now, he was happy. Just like how Luffy was happy with Zoro.

Luffy let out a sigh of content.

“What is it?” Zoro asked, turning slightly to face him.

“Nothing much,” Luffy said with a smile. “Just thinking of you.”

And with that, Luffy reached up to press his lips against Zoro’s. Zoro met him eagerly, turning fully to grip his head firmly in both. Luffy felt a wet tongue probing his lips, so he opened his mouth with a muffled groan. He could feel his entire face heat, and when Zoro started sucking on his tongue, Luffy let out a small moan of pleasure as he tightly gripped Zoro’s arm. The feeling of the heated muscle moving around in his mouth made him breathless, and it took Luffy a little too long to remember to breathe through his nose.

Zoro reluctantly pulled back, a thin band of saliva still connecting them. “Was that okay?”

“Yeah…” Luffy gasped out. He and Zoro hadn’t gone farther than gentle pecks and hand holding. This was a whole new experience. And it was nice, though it left Luffy feeling heated in places he hadn’t exactly expected to. Glancing down at Zoro’s crotch, Luffy could tell that Zoro had felt the same.

Zoro’s eyes followed Luffy’s gaze until he realised his predicament. “Shit, sorry,” Zoro murmured, quickly grabbing a pillow to cover the tent in his pants.

“It’s okay,” Luffy laughed. “I’m the same.”

Once Zoro looked up at Luffy’s crotch, he let out a breathless chuckle. They were two horny teenagers in love, what did one expect from that kind of kiss?

“I’ll go wash up,” Zoro stated, rising from the couch and heading in the direction of the bathroom. Luffy totally didn’t watch his ass as he walked out of the room.

Left alone, Luffy paused the movie and got up to stretch, feeling a little stiff from sitting too long. He grabbed the two empty pizza boxes from the coffee table, and took them to the trash. It was then that he saw the time on the stove clock. 10:38 pm. _Damn, it got late._

He was putting on his shoes by the time Zoro came out from the bathroom. “Heading home?”

“Yeah,” Luffy murmured. “It’s getting late.”

“Alright. Do you want me to walk you home or anything? You could even stay the night if you wanted,” Zoro offered.

Luffy shook his head. “Nah, I’ll be fine.”

“Okay…” Zoro trailed off, looking like he wanted to say more.

“Yeah?” Luffy prompted when it seemed like he wouldn’t continue.

“...You’re not... _leaving_ because of what just happened, right?”

Instead of giving a verbal response, Luffy stood up, and pulled Zoro in for a kiss. It was brief, but by the time they pulled away, it was clear that Zoro got the message.

_I love you._

“I’ll see you later,” Luffy said, grabbing his schoolbag with a smile.

His smile was matched on Zoro’s face. “See ya.”

Leaving it at that, Luffy headed out into the night. It would take awhile to get home from Zoro’s, and it was dark, but it was a nice night. The full moon above was bright enough to light the streets for Luffy when streetlights were absent. There was a slight chill in the air, and Luffy shivered. He had left his only jacket, his sweatshirt, at school, so he had to deal with the cold night air in his short sleeved t-shirt.

Luffy stuck his hands in his pockets, and considered pulling out his mp3 player, but decided against it. The last thing Luffy needed at this point was to be mugged from not being able to hear his attacker coming.

Eventually, Luffy reached the run down apartment he had been forced to call home. With a disappointed sigh, Luffy dragged his feet up the creaky stairs to his room. He took out his key and turned, alarm rising within him as he realised that it was unlocked. Surely he hadn’t forgotten to lock it before school that morning? That would just be begging to be robbed of his last few possessions.

 

 _No,_ Luffy decided firmly. _I locked it this morning. So how did…_

He felt his heart beat faster. _Did someone break in?_

His hand holding his key trembled. _But the door looks fine._

His breathing quickened. _Maybe they came in through the window and left through the door._

His heartbeat was too loud. _What if they’re still here?_

His heartbeat was deafeningly loud. _What if Garp is back...._

 

Slowly removing the key from the door, Luffy turned the knob and gently pushed the door open. It opened with no resistance, swinging freely save for an awful squeak that sounded far too loud in the otherwise silent night.

Inside, the lights were out while the shitty tv was on, volume turned low, spreading coloured, flickering lights across the room. On the couch sat a figure.

Luffy gripped on to the doorknob for support.

It wasn’t Garp.

There, sitting on the couch was a familiar mop of curly black hair and freckles.

_Ace._

As if he heard his name, his brother turned his head towards where Luffy stood frozen and panicked in the doorway. A smile broke across his freckled face.

“Hey, Lu. Long time no see.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry guys! Looks like this will be the last one for awhile. As always, please leave some feedback and point out any mistakes. Thank you all for hanging in there with me. <3  
> P.S. I'm looking for suggestions as to what happens next plot-wise! Please leave a comment if you have any ideas or something you would like to see in this fic. Or, send me an ask at [ace-amethyst.tumblr.com](http://ace-amethyst.tumblr.com)


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